Memory Lane: Dillow’s football path went from AG to Penn State to WVU
Zack Dillow is a prime example of perseverance and hard work paying off in athletics.
Dillow was a standout on the Albert Gallatin football team during the 1990s.
Like many athletes Dillow got an early start in athletics, but it wasn’t football.
“I started in wrestling,” Dillow reported. “I started in first grade, my father was a football coach, but he also liked for us to wrestle. I had two older brothers and they were wrestling. I wrestled up until my junior year and my senior year I quit because I couldn’t keep the weight on.
“I wrestled heavyweight and I had some success. Starting in sixth grade I placed second in the state and then my sophomore year I won the section. My junior year I got hurt and I wasn’t able to wrestle. I messed my knee up real bad.
“I had Darwin Stalnaker as my coach and also Bibby Pavlovich and Joe Simon helped me. Those guys were great and I couldn’t have asked for better coaches. I will be honest I was very lucky my father got me into wrestling because it went hand in hand with football. It helped me out immensely with leverage, especially with being an undersized player especially in college.”
Third grade is where Dillow got into football.
“I tried out in third grade and I absolutely hated it,” Dillow stated. “It’s kind of funny, I really thought that it wasn’t a sport that I wanted to try out again. But once I got to middle school my brothers were playing and so I decided to play. Then it was just like something clicked and it became a love for me.”
Dillow played four years in high school for Albert Gallatin.
“I was lucky,” Dillow said. “I really attribute a lot of it to my brothers Aaron and Darrin. I give them a lot of credit. I really looked up to those guys. I wanted to be like them and my dad Jim loved football.”
Dillow was on Colonial teams that went 4-8 in 1994, 3-7 in 1995, 0-10 in 1996 and 2-8 in 1997.Dillow played center and middle linebacker.
“We didn’t have a lot of success,” Dillow lamented. “I think thank god I loved that sport so much. Losing can really put a damper on some things. It’s disheartening to be on those teams. I will say under Coach (Mike) Bosnic for three years we had a great offense. We had a really good offensive line and we had both my brothers, a guy named Ray Lynn, Mike Larew and Brandon Rotharmel. We also had Cornell Dotson at running back and the other running back was Turk Hayneswoth and they were like thunder and lightning. Unfortunately we were the swiss cheese defense.”
The 6-foot-2, 265-pound Dillow garnered some honors in high school. He was a three-year All Conference performer and three years All County. He played in the Mason-Dixon All-Star football game and the National City All-Star football game.
“That’s one of those things where you are not winning games, but you are winning some awards,” Dillow said. “That was a win for me, at the end of the year when people are recognizing that. I wanted to make my dad proud and I wanted to make my family proud and my community proud.”
When Dillow graduated from AG in 1998 he had a few college offers.
“I think I was what you call a tweener,” Dillow offered. “I heard they weren’t sure if I was a big slow linebacker or a smaller offensive lineman. I wasn’t recruited very heavily and it was looking like Division II, like IUP and Waynesburg. It was disheartening, and I was a standout at the Metro Camp. Penn State came about because my sister was a recruiting hostess at Penn State and I eventually linked up with Joe Sarra and I was a preferred walk-on. I spent two years up there and learned a lot of great things and it was great playing for Joe Paterno.”
Dillow decided to leave Penn State.
“I decided to leave after they over-signed,” Dillow explained. “I had to move on without a scholarship and it was costing me too much money. Temple, Lock Haven, California and Pitt called me and it was a little dicey getting a release. They didn’t want me to go to Pitt. I wanted to play and decided to go to IUP. One evening Donnie Young from West Virginia called and thought it was a good opportunity to go to Morgantown. Mom and Dad believed in me and they said go. I sat out that year. I was blessed to have great coaches as I go from Paterno to Don Nehlen.
“I learned a lot from line coaches Bill Legg and Rick Trickett and I played two years for the Mountaineers. Nehlen left and Rich Rodriquez took over. One of Nehlen’s last things he did was give me a scholarship.”
Dillow started at center on WVU squads that went 3-8 in 2001 and 9-4 in 2002 with a loss to Virginia in the Continental Tire Bowl.
“I loved every minute at WVU,” Dillow stated. “I’ve been a blessed man. I had a great football career.”
Dillow won the WVU Gridiron Gladiator Award in 2001 and 2002.
“I was a bit undersized as a lineman, but in my mind I thought I was the toughest guy on the field,” Dillow said. “That was one of the best awards I ever received.”
Dillow followed in his parents footsteps. They were both teachers. He taught for nine years and then in 2004-2005 he went to West Greene as an assistant principal and came back to Albert Gallatin a year and a half later. He is principal at Albert Gallatin South Middle School.
Now 44, Dillow resides near Point Marion with his wife of nine years Tiffany. They have three children, Seth, Delaney and Everly.
Looking back, Dillow is pleased with the way things have turned out in his life.
“I’m a blessed man,” Dillow stated. “For me to achieve what I did and making a Division-I roster as a walk on and being good. I’m proud of what I did.”
George Von Benko’s “Memory Lane” column appears in the Sunday editions of the Herald-Standard. He also hosts a sports talk show on WMBS-AM radio from 10 a.m. to noon on Saturdays.