By Jalen Maki
Tomahawk Leader Editor
TOMAHAWK – After four decades of coaching athletes in track and field, cross country, football and basketball, John Zuelsdorf recently announced his retirement.
Zuelsdorf had been a coach in the School District of Tomahawk since 1984.
In a letter to School District of Tomahawk Athletic Director Scott Parsons, Zuelsdorf said he chose to step aside “to make way for the next generation of coaches to guide our athletes.”
Zuelsdorf said he has “appreciated the support of the Tomahawk High School administration and staff, athletes, parents, booster club, community and fellow coaching staff members.”
“Our administration has paved the way for athletes to have the opportunity to prepare and compete,” Zuelsdorf stated. “Our Hatchet Booster Club has provided for non-budgeted expenses when needed. Our parents have supported our athletes at home venues and on the road and have gone above and beyond to create memorable opportunities at our annual camp.”
Zuelsdorf noted that the Tomahawk community has supported the annual Pow Wow Days race and “opened their arms to our athletes at local venues.”
“Additionally, our athletes have believed in the process, worked diligently in their preparation, and have represented our school and community to the highest levels wherever they competed,” he said. “The coaches that I have been fortunate to work with on our staff have been knowledgeable and always driven to have the best interests of our athletes in mind. To be part of all of this, I am truly grateful and humbled.”
Former coach Bob Skubal said “Z” was “well organized, disciplined and was able to get the max out of his athletes.”
“He was a great motivator who challenged each to improve in both practice and competition,” Skubal stated. “He kept immaculate records on the progress of his athletes and had them work for new personal records when it was attainable. He knew when to rest the athletes and when to push their progress. He was able to peak his athletes at the proper time so that they were often shining on the highest stages in their competition.”
Connor Ahrens, who has been coached by Zuelsdorf and has coached cross country alongside him for the last five years, called Zuelsdorf his “teacher, coach, mentor and friend.”
“Coach Z has always been one of the most passionate and knowledgeable coaches I have ever known, not to mention one of the most successful to boot,” Ahrens stated. “He has earned his retirement many times over, and I wish him nothing but the best.”
Zuelsdorf’s coaching career
Zuelsdorf’s impressive coaching career began in Shiocton in 1982, where he coached middle school football, 8th grade basketball and high school girls’ track and field. Under Zuelsdorf’s leadership, Shiocton won its first-ever Central Wisconsin Conference Track & Field Championship in 1984. An athlete coached by Zuelsdorf also qualified for State in the 800m that year.
In 1984, Zuelsdorf came to Tomahawk, where he would coach various sports over the course of the next 37 years.
He began his career coaching Hatchet athletes at the helm of the varsity girls’ basketball team, a position he held until 1989. Zuelsdorf coached nine Lumberjack All-Conference athletes and a Hagen Channel 7 All-Star while improving the team’s record from 2-17 in his first season to 12-9 in his second.
Zuelsdorf’s 32-year stint as a track and field coach in Tomahawk began in 1985. He coached girls’ track and field until 2016, and coached the co-ed squad for his final 11 years, from 2006 to 2016.
His overall record coaching girls’ track and field was 1,336-584-4, a winning percentage of .695. He coached 43 individual State qualifiers and 21 relay State qualifiers, with 22 podium place winners. Zuelsdorf coached 222 individual and 75 relay Sectional qualifiers, earning third place in 2007 and 2012. He also won seven Regional Championships and five Conference Championships.
On the boys’ side, Zuelsdorf had a career record of 446-301-3 (.597) as head track and field coach. 25 individual athletes and seven relay teams coached by Zuelsdorf qualified for State, with eight podium place winners. Zuelsdorf coached two individual State Champions – J. Lilek in the shot put in 2008 and M. Gerber in the 200m in 2011 – as well as the runner-up 2011 State Champion 400m relay team. 76 individuals and 18 relay teams qualified for Sectionals under Zuelsdorf’s leadership. The Hatchet boys were Sectional Champions in 2010 and finished second the following year. Zuelsdorf also won two Regional Championships and one Conference Championship.
Zuelsdorf was selected as track and field Conference Coach of the Year six times.
The only thing that might be more impressive than Zuelsdorf’s stunning career as a track and field coach in Tomahawk is his tenure coaching cross country.
In 1984, Zuelsdorf was a volunteer assistant with the Hatchet cross country team. He served as an assistant from 1989-1991 before taking the reins as head coach of the co-ed team in 1992, a role he held until his retirement.
Zuelsdorf compiled a staggering 3,373-466 (.879) record in his years coaching girls’ cross country. He coached 17 team State qualifiers and nine individual State qualifiers, winning the team State Championship in 2004 and placing second in 1996, 2005 and 2006. Zuelsdorf notched 11 Sectional team championships and six runner-up finishes, along with 17 Conference Championships. 137 All-Conference female cross country athletes were coached by Zuelsdorf.
Zuelsdorf’s overall record coaching boys’ cross country was 3,149-686 (.821), with 11 team State qualifiers and seven individual State qualifiers. In 2008, Zuelsdorf’s Hatchet boys won the State Championship. Zuelsdorf also has eight team Sectional championships, three Sectional runner-up finishes and eight Conference Championships under his belt, and he coached 107 All-Conference athletes.
Zuelsdorf was selected as cross country Conference Coach of the Year 25 times, District Coach of the Year in 1993, 1995, 1996, 1998, 2003 and 2004, and State Coach of the Year in 2004 and 2008. In 2012, he was inducted into the Wisconsin Cross Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Zuelsdorf said any accolades and success that his teams have garnered over the years is the result of a “collective effort” of everyone involved, including the athletes, his fellow coaches, parents and school administration and staff, adding that he is confident in the “continued adult support and ‘buy in’ by our athletes.”
“I am looking forward to spectating and watching our athletes continue to grow and flourish,” he stated.
Zuelsdorf concluded his letter to Parsons by saying he is blessed for his family.
“They have supported me through this journey and my passion for the sport,” he said. “I am excited to be able to spend time now putting them at the forefront of our remaining journey together through life.”