Zetts looks back at YSU career

April 7, 2015 at 12:00a.m.

Former Boardman QB also played briefly for

Italian football team

AUSTINTOWN

For former Boardman Spartans quarterback Tom Zetts, staying at home to pursue his academic and athletic careers was a no-brainer.

The last quarterback to lead the Penguins to the postseason (that came in 2006 when they advanced to the FCS semifinals before falling to eventual champion, Appalachian State), he finished his career by setting 11 passing records and started a program-best 47 contests, leading YSU to a 30-17 overall mark.

While addressing the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s weekly luncheon, Zetts noted that the time he spent playing in Italy after graduating were also some of the most fulfilling during his playing days.

“I never regretted my decision to attend YSU because everything worked out absolutely great for me. I had an opportunity to play for my hometown university, received my degree and made lifelong friends,” he said.

“I remember Brian White, our tight ends coach, telling us at the outset of our freshmen year that these would be the guys you will become friends with and keep tabs on after graduation. He said we’d be in each other’s weddings and, boy, was he right. At the end of this week, I will be in Orlando, Fla., to be in Jeremiah Wright’s wedding. [He was] my college roommate and to this day a really great friend.”

Content to enter the classroom and become a coach when his playing days were over, Zetts was student teaching and coaching at Campbell Memorial when he received a call about extending his career in Italy.

The timing happened to be right so he decided to give it a shot, albeit after the season had started.

“Each team is allowed three American players on its roster and the Parma Panthers’ quarterback got hurt a few games into the season. They lost a couple of games and I caught wind that a deal was in the works,” Zetts said. “Their coach was former Illinois State linebacker Andrew Papoccia, whom I had played against in college and it all happened so suddenly. They called me on Tuesday; I flew out on Wednesday evening and after an 11-hour flight, arrived on Thursday afternoon. I took a nap, practiced with the team the next two days and then played my first game on Sunday.”

In Zetts’ first game, he led his Parma Panthers to a 64-57, come-from-behind victory on a fake spike to the corner of the end zone after the players didn’t understand his original call.

“Americans have a decided advantage when playing in Italy as they’re still trying to figure out what the game of football is all about,” he added. “For them, it’s usually their second job but for the three Americans and most of all myself, I felt like it was paradise. It was a vacation from life where you got to play football every week. While it was the most creative I ever had to be on the field, the players were definitely the hardest-working group of players I have ever been around. The people there were so friendly and accommodating as well.”

Zetts led his team to the league playoffs and later the EFAF (European Federation of American Football) title game, where they fell to Berlin.

“It was just eight games but they were eight action-packed games and a lot of fun,” Zetts said. “The team president appreciated our run, but you just couldn’t make a career over there. While the timing was right in 2008 and I had planned on returning for another year, I had a teaching and coaching opportunity at Boardman High School that I simply couldn’t pass up and that has worked out for me just as well.”

Next week, Josh Frketic, TV-27 WKBN sports anchor will serve as the Curbstone Coaches’ guest speaker.