"Coach Z" Rich Zvosec has received awards
in the coaching field as well as the television
community. In 2005 he became one of only 35 active
college basketball coaches to be selected Coach
of the Year in two different Division I conferences
at two separate schools. That year he was selected
the Mid-Continent Conference, College Insider
and CBS Sportsline Coach of the Year for his team’s
performance at University of Missouri-Kansas City
(UMKC).
Rich
has built a strong reputation for turning programs
around, and has built or rebuilt programs at
each of his stops on his coaching journey. At
two of his four head coaching assignments he
departed as the all-time Winningest coach.
At
27, he was the youngest Division I head coach
in the country at St. Francis College in New
York. In his third season, the Terriers recorded
their most wins in two decades and he was named
the Northeast Conference Coach of the Year.
He then built the University of North Florida
program from scratch. In only their fourth season
of existence he led them to the championship
game of the Sunshine State Conference. Along
the way his team knocked off three nationally
ranked teams.
His
tenure at University of Missouri-Kansas City
produced historic wins and results. Not only
is he the all-time winningest coach, but he
has the most tournament wins as well as the
longest winning streak in school history. He
led the Kangaroos to their first win over Kansas
State, a 41 point win that was the fifth largest
margin of victory in school history. He also
had the second highest winning percentage in
the Mid-Continent Conference during his six
seasons.
Coach Z preaches the benefits of living a well-rounded life. The proof is in the actions. An analyst on both ESPN and CBS College Sports, he has written two books titled Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos (Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball) and For Tiger Fans Only. He was a contributing author on the Inspiring Hope book and his weekly column can be found at SportsRadioKC.com. Besides spending time with local charities, he has found time to appear in numerous feature films, can be found in the broadcast booth (both on radio and television), and has become a mainstay in the commercial industry.
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