Latest challenge for Zbikowski is coaching high school football
Tom Zbikowski was known for his speed and elusiveness as a quarterback at Buffalo Grove High School. Since hanging up the cleats, and boxing gloves, he's changed directions a few times in life.
Since high school, he talked about a dream of becoming a Chicago firefighter. He achieved that goal but missed competition. So he got back into coaching football at the college level, first at Western Michigan, then for two years at Brown in the Ivy League.
Now he's back in Chicago and working at the high school level, as head coach at St. Patrick on the Northwest side. The reason for this change was family.
“That first season at Brown was really tough,” Zbikowski said. “My daughter was just born and people think it's hyperbole when we're talking about seeing her maybe 10 times during the football season.
“My father (Ed) is 83 and just got out of the hospital. He's healthy and doing better now. It was tough for me all of last season. I was darn near having panic attacks that something was going to happen back home and I wouldn't be able to be there for my family. I wanted to get back home.”
A college connection led him to St. Patrick. The school president, Dan Santucci, was a teammate at Notre Dame.
The Chicago Catholic League is both the place to be and an incredible challenge. Five of the eight state champions last year came from the CCL. St. Patrick doesn't have much of a football history, with just a single trip to the quarterfinals in 2021 and no playoffs the last three years.
“It's beautiful. It's the challenge I'm looking for,” Zbikowski said. “There's a lot of talent in the areas surrounding St. Pat’s that we've got to tap into. The West Side's always had a lot of talent. They need to be going to St. Pat's. That's the market I'm going to corner and we'll be as competitive as anyone in this league.”
And he feels a connection to the neighborhood because that's where his father, a Foreman High School alum, grew up.
“It's still kind of home for me,” he said. “That's where I spent a lot of childhood time.”
Coming off a 2-7 season, St. Patrick will open at Yorkville on Aug. 29 and face Larkin, Benet and St. Viator this fall.
“We've had really good buy-in,” Zbikowski said. “We've got size, we've got talent. Not a lot of depth yet, but it's all part of the process. We'll surprise people this year.”
Zbikowski spent five years in the NFL, four with Baltimore and one in Indianapolis. He played for both Rob and Rex Ryan, the twin sons of legendary Bears defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan, but probably won't get to utilize his knowledge of Ryan's 46 defense, since most high school teams run a spread offense.
“We don't have any Mike Singletarys or Otis Wilsons or Wilbur Marshalls yet,” he said. “But as soon as we do.”
Zbikowski stuck with his second sport, boxing, for a few years, then completed the hefty training to become a firefighter and EMT, only to leave after a couple of years on the job. In retrospect, he felt his motivation was mostly to follow in the footsteps of his brother, uncle and grandfather.
“I had a really good time doing it,” Zbikowski said. “I did two years in Uptown, which can be a busy place. I learned how to save people's lives. I was part of some lifesaving rescues. I got probably my favorite moment (in life) from being a fireman.”
Maybe coaching high school football at St. Patrick is a perfect fit. Or maybe he'll keep searching.
“Like any athlete after they get out, I don't think (people) understand how difficult the transition is,” Zbikowski said. “It took me a long time to be happy with things. If you're not willing to search and try new things, what are you going to do? You're going to be miserable.”