At 43, Joe Zagacki is living out a dream that began at age 16.
In the bedroom of his North Miami-Dade home, Zagacki would dream of being the play-by-play man for the University of Miami football program, and five years ago, the Chaminade-Madonna graduate had the opportunity to live that dream.
Zagacki returned “home” on April 21 as the guest speaker of the Greater Hollywood Chamber of Commerce monthly breakfast at the Park Sports CafM-i at the Seminole Hard Rock.
“I would pretend that I was announcing games for as long as I can remember,” Zagacki said.
Zagacki recalled his father, Frank, taking him to work at WIOD radio in the late 1970s when Joe was just 16 and how many hours he spent trying to keep his foot in the door by doing the little things that earned the respect of former Dolphin broadcasters Rick Weaver and Hank Goldberg.
“I got Hank coffee many times. Some think that I’m still getting his coffee,” Zagacki said with a smile.
Along with Chris Myers, who has been one of the elite sportscasters for ESPN and now Fox Sports, Zagacki broke into the business by seldom turning down an assignment.
By 18, he was producing Dolphins and Hurricanes games on the radio. He would appear on weekend sports talk shows and made the choice to follow in the footsteps of the late Sonny Hirsch, a South Florida broadcaster for decades.
It was Hirsch who opened the door for Zagacki to serve as his color announcer for 15 years on University of Miami broadcasts in football, baseball and basketball.
Zagacki says he owes his career to Hirsch, who also groomed Myers, another Chaminade graduate.
“Sonny was the man when it came to broadcasting,” Zagacki told the more than 100 chamber members. “He opened doors for a lot of people.”
Five years ago, Zagacki was named the “Voice of the Hurricanes,” a position that is one of the most prestigious in South Florida.
“This job has taken me to the Rose Bowl, a game I had never seen,” Zagacki said. “There I was sitting in the booth getting ready to call the Nebraska-Miami national championship game. It was one of those pinch yourself moments. The next year, I had the opportunity to call the most exciting college championship game between Miami and Ohio State in the Fiesta Bowl.”
From the College World Series, where he has gone almost a dozen times with the University of Miami, to some of the most impressive college sports settings in the country, Zagacki said he has been “blessed” at his many opportunities.
“When we were in the Big East, there were some impressive places the Hurricanes went,” Zagacki said. “But now that Miami is in the Atlantic Coast Conference, it’s a much different world. Places like the Dean Smith arena in North Carolina, Cameron Indoor arena at Duke and some of the most impressive facilities you will ever see.”
Zagacki said he is comfortable with a job that has given him so many positive memories.
“This has never been a job to me,” Zagacki said. “How many people can actually say that they are doing something they always wanted.”
Players HONORED
With the start of spring football practice, two area standouts have been singled out as the best in the country.
Scout.com, which covers high school sports nationally, has named Hallandale offensive lineman Kevin Bryant and Hollywood Hills defensive end Jabaal Sheard to its pre-spring Top 100 for the season.
Bryant (6-foot-7, 350 pounds) and Sheard (6-4, 250) are being recruited by just about every major college in the country.
“It’s an honor,” Bryant said. “To be mentioned with the best in the country is something that anyone would love to happen. Now, I have to go out and prove them right in my senior year.”
GOLF CLASSIC
The second Jubilee Golf Classic is scheduled for Saturday at the Hillcrest Country Club, 4600 Hillcrest Drive, Hollywood.
The event, which benefits the Poor and Homeless of South Broward, is open to players, sponsors and spectators. The Jubilee Center provides meals and social services to those in need.
If you would like to attend the 8 a.m. shotgun start or would like to contribute to the organization, call Tammy Morton at 954-920-0106.
TOP COACH
The National High School Athletic Coaches Association announced its Coach of the Year finalists, and Pembroke Pines resident Mike Kypriss has been chosen to represent the Southeast United States in June at the National Awards Banquet in Missouri.
Kypriss, who has guided the tennis program at Dr. Michael Krop High in North Miami-Dade since the school opened eight years ago, is receiving this award for his outstanding coaching record, awards received, service to the coaching profession and his athletes’ achievements.
Kypriss, who started his coaching career at Miami Killian High School, has nine state championships and eight runners-up on his record. Elite players Jack Brasington and Paige Yaroshuk played on his teams, and he currently coaches ATP player Jean-Julien Rojer.
DEIBER DOING WELL
St. Thomas University softball coach Jeff Norman says freshman pitcher Kelly Deibler can be better — a lot better.
That’s quite a statement, considering Deibler, a St. Thomas Aquinas graduate from Davie, has an 11-3 record with a 1.04 ERA despite ankle and knee problems this season.
“I can still see that potential tag that hangs around her neck,” said Norman, in his fourth season as head coach. “During this season, it’s been about Kelly on her abilities and not so much about seeing how dominant that she really can be. She’s had to struggle with ankle issues in the fall, and now she has had knee aggravation problems. We want to protect her and just make sure that she is OK.”
With the Bobcats at 19-14, Deibler has been the consistent force as an ace pitcher and a run-producer on the bases.
She is 13-3 on the mound and has struck out 149 (as of April 24). She has a 1.11 ERA on the season with 149 strikeouts. She has a .324 batting average with 12 runs, 10 RBI, five doubles and a home run.
Originally the team’s No. 2 starting pitcher, Deibler rose to become the team’s go-to arm after Norman saw that she wanted to be “the player” on the mound when the game was on the line. As the season progressed, Deibler showed the makings of an ace pitcher by being named Florida Sun Conference and National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics softball pitcher of the week in early April.
She tossed a perfect game with nine strikeouts April 1 against Webber International.
“I didn’t even know that I had a perfect game,” said Deibler, who uses a fastball, change, curve, rise, drop and curveball in her arsenal. “I realized that our defense was playing well for me. They were diving for every ball on grounders and making plays, but I was just focused on winning the game so I didn’t notice.”
Norman didn’t realize that she had a perfect game until the sixth inning.
“This was an important game because we had to win it,” Norman said. “You usually just focus on winning the game. But when the sixth inning came around, I asked our assistant coach to check the scorebook to see if anybody had reached base.”
Luckily, a recent MRI revealed that Norman will be fine to pitch the rest of the season.
St. Thomas (19-14) is expected to have a spot in the Florida Sun Conference four-team Region XIV tournament to be played May 11 in Savannah, Ga.
USA SOFTBALL TRYOUTS
On May 21, Seminole County and Altamonte Sports will host some of the best softball players from across the United States vying for a chance at Olympic glory.
The Amateur Softball Association (ASA) will have an open Olympic team tryout at the USA Softball National Team Training Facility — East Coast, Merrill Park Softball Complex in Altamonte Springs near Orlando. The tryout for the 2008 Olympic team is one of only four to be held this year and the only one in the Southeast.
Any female U.S. citizen able to meet designated minimum standards is eligible to try out. Visit for application, rules and deadline information.
WEST PINES HOT
The West Pines 8-under All-Stars baseball team has kept its streak alive. After 10 consecutive tournaments and 44 games in a row, the group of 12 players from Pembroke Shores Park has not lost a game since July 2005.
Under the guidance of coach David Flores and assistant Bobby Revilla, the in-house Coach-pitch team has won tournaments from as far north as Lake Worth to as far south as Kendall.
“Usually, you don’t find 12 kids like this in one park,” Revilla said. “They took their lumps as 7-year-olds last year when they played and lost against 8-year-old teams. I think playing against older kids has helped them develop to where they are now.”
The team participates in various sanctioned tournaments, including the USSSA, AAU and the Pony League. In June, the team will attempt to qualify for the state championships by winning its district. Following that, they have been invited to travel to Tennessee and North Carolina for USSSA and AAU Little League World Series tournaments.
MCCARTHY ends STRONG
The Archbishop McCarthy junior varsity softball team finished its season at 10-2. The mostly freshman-led team was paced by pitchers Lauren Wilcox and Kayla Mineo, catcher Kristin DiGiola and the run-producing performances of third baseman Morgan Graesch.
The rest of the team includes Michele Baldasti, Bridget Farrell, Daniella Roquett, Alyssa Mineo, Randi Lahiff, Alisha Simmons, Janelys Castro, Christina Rosa, Christina Quinoy and Sarah Rodriquez.
RUN, FITNESS WALK
The third “Let my People Run” 5K Run and 2 Mile Fitness Walk will be May 21 at Tradewinds Park in Coconut Creek to benefit Gilda’s Club, South Florida and the Temple Beth Torah (Tamarac) Youth Scholarship Fund.
The entry fee is $20 for the 5K run and $18 for the 2 Mile Fitness Walk, with a $5 surcharge for registrations on race day. Free T-shirts are included.
Call 954-721-7660, ext. 10. Sponsorships are available.
Special correspondent Peter Holehan contributed to this column. Larry Blustein can be reached at .
