History Lesson: Jim Zorn as a Cowboy
By Matt Cordon (kh). Filed in 1970s, Classic Player Profiles, Jim Zorn, Remembering Those Glory Days |
The Redskins this week hired Jim Zorn as their new head coach. This move was rather surprising, given that Zorn has had little experience with the type of head coaching duties that he will assume, but I don’t exactly feel sorry for Washington.
Some know this, but Zorn originally tried to latch on with the Cowboys in 1975 before getting his break the following year with the upstart Seattle Seahawks. Zorn had a good preseason in 1975 and very nearly made the Dallas team as the third-string quarterback. However, just before the regular season began, Zorn was cut to make room for running back Preston Pearson after the Steelers cut the versatile back. As it turns out, Pearson was a starter with Dallas for a couple of seasons and continued to contribute until the 1980 season, while Zorn was the starter for the Seahawks from 1976 through 1982.
Here is a classic article about Zorn’s chances of making the team in Dallas (the headline kind of gives it away):
Chances Slim for Jim Zorn
July 28, 1975
THOUSAND OAKS, Calif.– If your last name start with “Z,” being last in line or at the bottom of a list is as natural as snow on Kilimanjaro.
So of the four quarterbacks remaining in the Dallas Cowboys camp here, Jim Zorn is, of course, number four.
He not only realizes he’s last, but sort of expects it . . . for now, anyway. He is, you see, the only survivor among the several rookie quarterbacks that charged up one of pro football’s aspiration hills here. And since there is only only Roger Staubach, Clint Longley and Leo Gasienieca in line in front of him and there are a million or more passes to be lofted before this training camp breaks, Zorn awakes daily telling himself he can overcome the seemingly impossible odds.
Weighing in those odds– depending on how one looks at it– is the fact that the 6-2, 195-pound free agent from Cal Poly Poma is a lefthander. Between Frankie Albert and Ken Stabler, successful NFL quarterbacks who fired from port have been about as numerous as declarations of war in Switzerland.
“Most teams are right-handed,” Zorn rationalized. “They have righthanded quarterbacks and defenses are used to working against them. A lefthander can confuse defenses. We bring the ball back a little differently before we throw. They can’t tell as early where we are going to put it.”
Zorn made Dallas’ list of desirable free agents because he is an all-around athlete. There is talk of trying him at other positions here– most natural for converted quarterbacks seems to be the defensive backfield– if the scythe man decides he must wield the blade on him as a QB.
There were words and looks of disbelief when the youngster from Artesia, Calif. finished so far ahead of his rookie mates in the cross-country that was part of the first day of orientation and testing here.
“When I was in high school,” Zorn grinned, “I was a skinny runt and hadn’t planned to go out for any sports. A good friend of mine was running in the cross-country and he finally got me to run with him just for the company.”
“To participate in athletics at our school, you couldn’t have long hair. I hated it, but it got a butch and wore it teh rest of the time in high school.”
He played football and basketball, too. At Cerritos Junior College for two years, he also was a multi-sport participant. By the time he entered Cal Poly, he was no longer a skinny runt.
He had a good junior year, but not as much as a senior,” recalled Gil Brandt, club vice president and scouting director. “He didn’t have much of a team to work with his senior year. He was a good athlete and that’s the way we’ve usually drafted, or selected free agents . . . by their athletic ability and potential.”
Zorn was into such sports as speed skating, badminton and javelin throwing at Cal Poly. He gained 1300 yards on the ground as a collegiate quarterback, which may be the reason he identifies more readily with Bobby Douglass than the most famous lefty, Stabler.
Zorn’s handicap is a lack of experience, of course. He is a rookie while Gasienieca is not “pure.” Leo has been with other NFL teams the past two years, although only briefly.
“You can’t tell about Zorn,” Coach Tom Landry said. “He shows promise. He could be the type of prospect Clint Longley was a year ago. And right now Longley is looking very good out there.”
“Of course,” Landry went on,” Gasieniesca has it on him now a bit of experience. We aren’t sure yet our third quarterback will come from either of them but, if so, Leo is ahead of Jim.”
Wednesday, February 13th 2008 at 7:08 am
As always, supurb info. I knew Zorn was originally with the Cowboys. On the back of his 1978 Topps Card it has ‘1975 Cowboys did not play’
I originally thought he may have been on the practice and possible lost to Seattle in the expansion draft but I just did a quick check and that is not so. The Seahawks must have simply signed him as a free agent. That was a pretty good signing because Zorn was a better than average NFL QB and played 9 seasons.
The guy I never heard of was Leo Gasienieca. I did a quick search and found NOTHING but this page when I Googled him. He is not in the Pro Football Reference site. I checked the Cowboys roster from 1975 on their team site and found only 2 QBs on the roster, Staubach and Longley, no Gasienieca?
Its funny how Longley was well thought of in the article above and Zorn was a Longshot. Looking back the Cowboys should have kept Zorn and dumped Longley. I don’t think Zorn was better than Danny White but its really hard to compare considering the teams they both played for. Who knows, Zorn may have gotten the Cowboys over the hump in one of those 3 NFC Championship losses in the early 80s.. not likely but who knows.
Wednesday, February 13th 2008 at 11:57 pm
Great post. I always learn something when I come here. Jim Zorn a former Cowboy? Never would have known! Good job fellow brother.
Thursday, February 14th 2008 at 1:28 am
Thanks, Dan. Your new blog has really taken off, by the way. Great job.