Meet Robert “Zack” Zackery

What do you do at Bowie State University? 

I’m the equipment and facilities manager for Bowie State University Athletics, and everyone knows me as Zack. 

What’s a typical day for you?  

I check in and get the athletic facilities set up. First, I make sure teams and managers have their uniforms. That can take up the whole morning into the afternoon because there might be two sports teams to prepare for. Other considerations include whether a team needs a vehicle and have equipment to load, especially if they're going out of town.  

I have to make sure everything runs smoothly. Another situation to manage is seating arrangements. I might have to get a special section ready for the university president, alumni and visitors.  

As I’m doing all this, I’m hearing hellos of either “Coach Zack” or “Uncle Zack” from students. Maybe they met me when they came on a Bowie State tour and loved what I had to say about the school. That might be because I came here as an undergraduate. I earned bachelor’s degree in communications 26 years ago. 

You were a student-athlete at Bowie State. What sports did you participate in? 

I was on the football team and track & field teams, and I also played summer basketball. At the time, a new football coach was just coming in. So, my teammates and I started working out with the basketball team just to make sure we were going to have enough recruits for the season. 

The new football coach did a lot of rebuilding and turned the program around, and we ended up winning the CIAA championship in 1989.  

I was named Special Teams Player of the Year and the Coca-Cola Special Teams Player in three games with the most blocks, kicks and punts in a season and game. I was inducted in the Bulldogs Sports Hall of Fame in 2014 because the blocked kicks won games. My record ended up being 13 or 14 blocks.  

The record stood for about 15 years until I received a phone call telling me my record had just been broken. So, I went to a Bulldogs football game to pass the torch. 

I also ran mid-distance on the track & field relay team. It was interesting, but football was my sport. 

How long have you been here as an employee? 

I started as a graduate assistant for three years, then I left for a while for other opportunities. I’ve been back here for five years. 

What did you do before you returned to campus? 

I was a counselor for Prince George’s County Public Schools and a director of their TV media program. I also mentored and advised student-athletes on the football teams of Suitland High School and Gwynn Park High School. 

Before that, I was a chemical operations specialist in the U.S. Army, which is a military occupational specialty known as 54 Bravo. Then I joined law enforcement, working for the U.S. Capitol Police providing security for buildings on Pennsylvania Avenue as well as the Madison, Jefferson and Adams buildings at the Library of Congress. 

What keeps you motivated in your job? 

The students! So many people who have been there for me are still here for me. One person at Bowie State from my undergraduate years is still a member of the faculty to this day: Dr. Sammye Miller, a professor in the Department of History & Government.  

For today’s students, I want to be somebody they can come to, and I want their parents to know that their kid is going to be safe here. I want them to know they can call anytime and say, “My child is this, that,” and know that Zack is here. I got them. 

What’s something you do that most people don’t see? 

Nobody knows my hours. I’m usually here at 6 a.m., and sometimes I don’t leave until 10 p.m. 

For the events and games, I can tell you that Zack has been here all day. Sometimes people joke about getting me an RV to spend the night! 

The other thing people maybe don’t realize is I want to make everyone else’s jobs easier by talking to student-athletes. I’m always making sure they’re okay and getting their work done. I love being Uncle Zack. 

How do you see your work contributing to the larger campus? 

If you deal with small things, the bigger things will blossom and everyone will see and benefit from it.

What do most people on campus not know about you? 

Many people don’t know my first name is Robert. And that I’m part of a family legacy at Bowie State.  

My brother is Dwayne Zackery ‘94. He’s also in the Bulldogs Sports Hall of Fame as an All-Pro football player. So there’s a family legacy. I wore #4 on the football team and he was #23. Depending on who I’m with — my dad, my brother — the names shift: Big Zack, Little Zack. You just have to know who’s who. But usually here on campus, I’m Uncle Zack or Big Zack.  

Editor's Note: This expanded photo essay was written and photographed by Ryan Pelham, Bowie State University's photographer.