Born Feb. 28, 1987 in Grand Rapids, Minn., Zack Bigboy was a 2004 graduate of Bloomington Kennedy High School. He wrestled all four years for the Eagles, winning three Minnesota state titles. Bigboy finished his high school career with a 140-15 overall record and more than 50 pins.
While in high school, Bigboy also competed in national freestyle and Greco-Roman events.
Zack Bigboy (Photo/John Sachs, Tech-Fall.com)"I was distinctly involved in getting Zack Bigboy out to Cal State Bakersfield to wrestle," Michael Fessler, former wrestler and now author of a number of books, including "Faith and Wrestling" and "Icon" told InterMat. "I was the first Minnesota wrestler to wrestle for the program. During my first year there, the program started looking for Minnesota wrestlers, and found Bigboy. I built a relationship with him, hosting him during his visits to the program."
"I left Cal State shortly after I decided to forgo my wrestling career," Fessler continued. "However, Bigboy stayed, wrestling there for three years."
"From my experience, Zack was a very kind individual who tried to seek out the fun in life."
Zack Bigboy's high school coach offered his tribute.
"Zack was a person who set goals all the time and then did whatever he had to do to reach those goals," Charles Vavrosky, head wrestling coach at Bloomington Kennedy, told InterMat. "Zack was a three-time state champion and a four-time Bi-State Classic champion.
"Kennedy has had 26 state champions and Zack is our only three-time champion."
"Zack and Jayson Ness were teammates and they each gained success by pushing each other not only in the high school season but in freestyle and Greco. Zack was an All-American in Fargo in 2004," said Vavrosky.
The Ashland (Wis.) Daily Press provided a portrait of Bigboy beyond the wrestling mat.
"Zack was an outdoorsman who enjoyed fishing and camping throughout the year," according to the obituary in the Ashland newspaper. "He also liked going to concerts and watching the Packers. He made many life-long friendships with family and friends and he had a special connection with his grandmother, Pearl. He will be remembered for work ethic and dedication to the goals he set for himself."
Zack Bigboy is survived by his mother Mary Pero; father Patrick Bigboy Sr.; sister Beth Bigboy; brother Patrick Bigboy Jr.; nieces and nephews, Kaiden, Selena, Connor, Katelyn, Lennen and Caylee; paternal grandmother Pearl Bigboy; and numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins.
A traditional service will be held Monday, Feb. 19, 2018 at the Bad River Community Center in Odanah, Wis., with Waawaakeyaash Keller Paap officiating. Burial will follow the service in the Odanah Cemetery.
Visitation will be held at the Community Center Sunday at 4:30 p.m., then continue Monday until the hour of service.
A Celebration of Life for Zack Bigboy will take place Saturday, Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. at Everett McClay VFW, 311 West 84th Street, Bloomington.
In addition, a GoFundMe page has been set up in Zack Bigboy's honor, to help his family with burial and final expenses.
Recommended Comments
There are no comments to display.
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now