Bill Zapalac

Bill Zapalac

Personal information
Born	(1948-09-01) September 1, 1948 (age 77) Bellville, Texas, U.S.
Height	6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)
Weight	225 lb (102 kg)
Career information
Position	Linebacker/Defensive end
Uniform number	53
High school	McCallum (Austin, Texas)
College	Texas
NFL draft	1971: 4th round, 84th overall
Career history
New York Jets (1971–1973)
Career highlights and awards
2× National champion (1969, 1970)
Career statistics
Games played 33

Willie Frank Zapalac Jr. (born September 1, 1948) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker and defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Texas Longhorns football.

College football

Zapalac attended the University of Texas at Austin and played college football for the Longhorns. He was a 3-time academic all-conference and twice was named Academic All American in 1969 and 1970. In 1970, he was elected as one of the four captains and was named to the National Football Foundation Academic All American team. Zapalac started 33 straight games while playing 3 different positions on Texas teams that had a combined record of 30–2–1. He graduated from the school of Architectural Engineering with Honors. In 2011, he was inducted in the University of Texas Hall of Honor.

Professional Athletic career

Zapalac was a 4th round selection (84th overall pick) in the 1971 NFL draft by the New York Jets. He played for three years with the Jets (1971–1973).

Professional career

Since retiring from football, Bill has worked in the construction industry since 1974. For the past 28 years he has been president of Zapalac/Reed Construction in Austin, Texas. University of Texas 2023 Distinguished Alumni of Civil, Architectural, Environmental Engineering department.

External links

• New York Jets page