Homer Zugelder
By John Horgan
Saturday, June 9th, 2007 at 11:33 am in Uncategorized.
Homer Zugelder, who spent most of his professional career at Hillsdale High School in San Mateo, died June 7 at his Belmont home after a long struggle with cancer. At Hillsdale, beginning in 1957, he was a teacher, coach and counselor for more than 30 years. He influenced countless young lives. He also was commissioner of the Peninsula Athletic League in the 1990s. A San Francisco native, he was a marathon runner, basketball referee and longtime Bay Meadows employee as well. He was a charter member of the San Mateo County Sports Hall of Fame selection committee, beginning in 1989. He is survived by his wife, Judy; a daughter, Mary Ann McLaughlin; two sons, Peter and Joseph; and three grandchildren. A rosary will be recited Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Immaculate Heart of Mary Catholic Church in Belmont. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated Thursday at 10 a.m. at the church. Interment will be at Skylawn Memorial Park off Highway 92 near the western intersection with Skyline Boulevard. Homer will be greatly missed.
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June 10th, 2007 at 7:17 am
HOMER ZUGELDER WAS A LONGTIME MEMBER OF THE PENINSULA BASKETBALL OFFICIALS ASSOCIATION AND A GREAT FRIEND TO US. HE WAS HONORED AT OUR BANQUET THIS YEAR AND AN ANNUAL AWARD WAS BEEN NAMED FOR HIM.
ONE OF HOMER’S MOST IMPORTANT ROLES WITH OUR GROUP WAS THAT OF “ASSIGNOR”. HE WAS THE PERSON WHO WOULD CALL OFFICIALS (NO E-MAILS) AND ASSIGN GAMES TO THEM. I TOOK OVER THOSE DUTIES FOR HIM AFTER HE RETIRED; SUBSEQUENTLY THE WORK WAS DIVIDED AMONG SEVERAL OF US BECAUSE OF THE SHEER VOLUME OF WORK. WE NOW USE SOPHISTICATED SOFTWARE PROGRAMS TO ASSIGN; HOMER USED A 3 INCH BINDER, YELLOW LEGAL PADS AND PENCIL.
HE WAS A FINE OFFICIAL WHO HAD THE RESPECT OF PLAYERS, COACHES AND HIS FELLOW REFEREES. HE WAS A QUIET PRESENCE ON THE COURT AND WENT ABOUT THE BUSINESS OF ASSURING THAT EACH GAME WAS CONDUCTED FAIRLY. WHEN YOU WORKED WITH HOMER, YOU KNEW THAT THINGS WOULD GO WELL.
I WILL MISS HIM AS A MENTOR, AND AS A FRIEND. HE ALWAYS SAID KIND THINGS ABOUT ME TO OTHERS AND NEVER AN UNKIND WORD ABOUT ANYONE. WE LOVE YOU HOMER.
September 24th, 2007 at 1:32 pm
I first met Coach Z when I was in 8th grade at Abbott. He came by to talk to the graduating class. I remember he had a digital lcd watch on. At the time, it was the latest thing. I thought “wow, this man is cool” !
When I got to Hillsdale in ‘76 he coached me on the “D” basketball team. “C” and “D” was the lightweight division. What a great coach. He pushed us hard, but fairly. I always respected his coaching abilities. And later, as I grew older to appreciate him as a true gentleman. He was my favorite teacher/coach from High School. I would drop by from time to time soon after graduating. But more recently lost contact with him. Hence my tardy submission.
Many of my fellow b-ballers whom Coach Z played under, still talk highly of him. He maintained a good repoire with everyone on the team, and often joked with us “asian” players. We still talk about that and smile.
And it’s funny that after 30+ years, I still remember those moments of Coach Z. He left a long lasting impression on me. He was a very good man who I will miss very much. I’m sure he’s in heaven yelling to someone “box out and get that rebound!”