It was a sad day for the West Chester community when Coach Bill Zwaan stepped off the John A. Farrell Stadium grass for the last time on Nov. 11 after a 34–7 win over Clarion University.
After 21 esteemed years at the helm of the Golden Rams, the longtime coach has decided that it’s time for the next phase of his life.
When asked about what this next phase will entail and what he plans to do, Zwaan said “travel, play some golf and spend a ton of time with my grandkids.”
Coach Zwaan certainly deserves this luxury as he retires as the NCAA Division II all-time wins leader among active head coaches. This is just one of many accolades that he has accumulated while donning the purple and gold. He has also won five Coach of the Year awards and led the Golden Rams to the NCAA Playoffs a school record of 10 times while becoming their all-time winningest head coach, surpassing the legendary Glenn Killinger. His 10 playoff appearances resulted in two national semifinal appearances in 2004 and 2013, respectively.
Zwann’s total win count amounts to 216 which includes his six-year stint as head coach of Division III Widener University, which he also helped lead their program to a national semifinal appearance.
But his success in the wins and loss column pales in comparison to the relationships he has fostered along the way. In fact, when asked about what he is going to miss most about coaching, there wasn’t a single mention of his success. Instead, Zwann mentioned “the relationships with the players and the coaches.”
This mindset is evident in all of the community and charity work that he has organized during his time here. One of many examples is how every Christmas for the past six years, Zwaan and his family have run a program to help homeless students. This is called the West Chester University Promise Program and its purpose is to serve “unaccompanied homeless and foster youth with a variety of programs, free supplies from the resource pantry, and most importantly, year-round housing,” as explained by a piece last Christmas from 6ABC news.
Coach Zwaan is also very adamant about the impact that he has on his players and knows that, at the end of the day, his job goes far beyond football. His goal is to ensure that the players are set up for the next chapter of their lives and are successful in whatever they decide to do, whether it involves football or not.
When asked what he has learned over his twenty-one year tenure at WCU, he explains that “there is so much more than wins and losses.” Zwaan said “the influence you have on your players is so much more important.”
Many coaches are caught up in the X’s and O’s of football and accumulating wins, but Coach Zwann has found a middle ground in achieving tremendous success while simultaneously prioritizing and putting his players first. As West Chester President Christopher Fiorentino puts it, “he epitomizes the collegiate coach who goes beyond winning games. Every football player who graduates from West Chester leaves not only with football memories, but also with a set of tools to prepare them to live successful lives, both professionally and personally.”
This is the legacy that Coach Zwaan has imprinted on the West Chester football program and what his players will remember for the rest of their lives.
Colin Bradley is a fourth-year English major with a minor in Journalism. CB953277@wcupa.edu