DEFIANCE, Ohio – Defiance College has announced that former DC student-athlete and current ESPN and CBS analyst, Rich Zvosec, will be the honorary guest speaker at its 37th-Annual Student-Athlete Honors Banquet on April 25. The event is hosted by the Purple and Gold Club and held at the Karl H. Weaner Community Center beginning at 6:00 pm.

Zvosec will return to Defiance College, where he majored in business and spent time with the men’s basketball team from 1979-1983. During his time on the hardwood with the Yellow Jackets, Zvosec was involved in three of DC’s 15 20-win seasons, one NAIA District 22 Championship and one Hoosier-Buckeye Collegiate Conference Championship under legendary head coach Marv Hohenberger.

Since graduating from DC, Zvosec has went on to serve 25 years in the coaching profession, while also publishing a book, doing speaking appearances, working as an analyst for ESPN, CBS and the Big Ten Television Network and hosting his weekly radio show, Coach Z Live.

Coach Z has been the head coach for four institutions, including St. Francis College, the University of North Florida and the University of Missouri-Kansas City. Zvosec left UMKC and St. Francis as the program’s all-time leader in coaching victories and earned a conference Coach-of-the-Year award at each school.

Not only is Zvosec the all-time winningest coach at Missouri-Kansas City, but he has the most NCAA Tournament victories and the longest winning streak in school history. He also held the second-highest winning percentage in the Mid-Continent Conference during his six seasons on the sidelines with UMKC.

Currently Zvosec preaches the benefits of living a well-rounded life. The proof is in the actions, as he has authored numerous magazine articles and has published a new book titled Birds, Dogs and Kangaroos: Life on the Back Roads of College Basketball. A second book was released this past November titled For Tiger Fans Only. He has appeared in films, including Along Came a Spider, as well as an episode of Friday Night Lights. In 2002, Zvosec received the Telly Award for his UMKC season ticket commercial.

The banquet is open to the general public, as well as all Defiance College student-athletes, faculty and staff. Tickets need to be purchased by Tuesday, April 20 and all current DC student-athletes will be admitted at no cost with a reserved ticket. For more information, please contact Michelle Trubey at 419-783-2342 or via email at mtrubey@defiance.edu.

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