Roger Zatkoff

Roger Zatkoff (March 25, 1931 – November 4, 2021) was an American professional football player and businessman.

A native of Hamtramck, Michigan, Zatkoff played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1950 to 1952 and was selected as a first-team all-conference player in the Big Ten in both 1951 and 1952. He later played professional football in the National Football League (NFL) for the Green Bay Packers from 1953 to 1956 and for the Detroit Lions in 1957 and 1958. He was selected as an All-Pro player in 1954 (UP first-team, AP second-team), 1955 (AP and TSN first-team), 1956 (NEA second-team). He was also a member of the 1957 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship.

After retiring from football, Zatkoff operated a manufacturing supply company based in the Detroit area. The company became the largest independent distributor of seals in North America.

Early life Zatkoff was born in Hamtramck, Michigan, in 1931. As a freshman, he was awarded the Meyer Morton Award as the freshman player showing the most promise. He started all nine games at linebacker for the 1951 Wolverines, and he was selected by the Associated Press as a first-team linebacker on the 1951 All-Big Ten Conference football team. As a senior in 1952, he started all nine games for Michigan at the linebacker position and was selected as a first-team All-Big Ten player by both the Associated Press and United Press.

Zatkoff was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor in 1985.

Professional football

Zatkoff was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the fifth round (56th overall pick) of the 1953 NFL draft. The Packers ranked in the NFL's lower tier while Zatkoff was with them, finishing 2–9–1 in 1953, 4–8 in 1954, 6–6 in 1955, and 4–8 in 1956. Despite the Packers' woes, Zatkoff earned a reputation as one of the best linebackers in the NFL in the mid-1950s and was selected as an All-Pro player in 1954 (UP first-team, AP second-team), 1955 (AP and TSN first-team), 1956 (NEA second-team). Zatkoff announced that, for family and business reasons, he would retire rather than play for the Browns. The Browns tried to trade Zatkoff to the Los Angeles Rams, but Zatkoff refused to join the Rams, and the deal was called off. In September 1957, the Browns finally traded Zatkoff to the Detroit Lions, the team Zatkoff preferred, in exchange for Lew Carpenter, the Lions' leading rusher in 1954 and 1955, and a future draft pick.

He was a starting player on the 1957 Detroit Lions team that won the NFL championship. He also appeared in all 12 games for the Lions in 1958.

Later life In 1959, Zatkoff formed a company known as Zatkoff Seals & Packings, a supplier to manufacturing companies in the Detroit and Toledo areas. The company grew to eight locations in three states and became "the largest independent distributor of seals in North America." Other companies include Zatkoff Properties, Ltd., and the Roger Zatkoff Company. Zatkoff is the great-uncle of National Hockey League goaltender Jeff Zatkoff of the Pittsburgh Penguins.

Zatkoff is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), which is caused by repeated hits to the head.

Roger Zatkoff Award

Since 1991, the University of Michigan has presented the Roger Zatkoff Award to the Michigan Wolverines football team's best linebacker at the end of each season. The past winners are listed below.

Year Player Year Player Year Player 1991 Erick Anderson 2000 Victor Hobson 2009 Stevie Brown 1992 Steve Morrison 2001 Larry Foote 2010 Jonas Mouton 1993 Gannon Dudlar 2002 Victor Hobson 2011 Kenny Demens 1994 Steve Morrison 2003 Lawrence Reid 2012 Jake Ryan 1995 Jarrett Irons 2004 Roy Manning 2013 Jake Ryan 1996 Jarrett Irons 2005 David Harris 2014 Jake Ryan 1997 Sam Sword 2006 David Harris 2015 Desmond Morgan 1998 Sam Sword 2007 Chris Graham 2016 Ben Gedeon 1999 Ian Gold 2008 Obi Ezeh 2017 Devin Bush Jr.