New Ulm Sports Central - Preserving and Sharing New Ulm Area Sports History

<<21/2012 - Zweifel Participates in NFL Pro Day, posted U of Dubuque athletic website.

AMES, Iowa - The University of Dubuque's Michael Zweifel was invited to participate in the NFL Pro Day at Iowa State University on March, 20, 2012. The 2011 Gagliardi Trophy winner, awarded annually to the most outstanding football player in NCAA Division III, showcased his talents in front of 31 of the 32 NFL teams.

Ed. Note: His father Stan is a former football coach at New Ulm High School.

Zweifel stopped the watches in :04.56 in the 40 yard dash, peaked his vertical jump at 35 inches, leaped to a standing broad jump length of 9'-11", ran a :04.20 in the 20 yard shuttle and ran a :06.52 in the three cone drill. Zweifel's time in the three cone drill is the second fastest by a potential draft prospect this year.

"It was a stressful, nervous fun day," commented Zweifel. "I was pleased with my numbers, like everyone else, you always wish you did better, but overall I'm pretty happy with how my day went. "

The morning began for Zweifel with morning warm-ups at 8:30 a.m. with evaluations beginning at 9:30 with all the NFL combine workouts finishing three hours later.

"I never thought I would be here, it's just humbling to be around the best athletes in the country," Zweifel added. He talked with 4-5 new NFL teams he hadn't heard from this year with his agent Mark Eisenberg (Madison, Wis.). He has talked to 22 or more NFL teams about Zweifel and mailed out numerous highlight DVD's showcasing his abilities.

Zweifel, the 2011 Iowa Conference Offensive MVP and the only Division III NFF William V. Campbell Finalist ("Academic Heisman"), led the nation in receiving yards (1,915), receiving yards per game (174.09), receptions (140), receptions per game (12.73), and receiving touchdowns (25). He set a new Division III record with 140 catches this season, and is the all-time NCAA leader (all divisions) with 463 career receptions. He led the Spartans to a 9-2 record and their first conference championship in 31 years. He currently holds nine University of Dubuque records, four Iowa Conference records, three NCAA records, and one Wisconsin Conference record.

In 2011, Zweifel earned numerous awards including Iowa Conference Athlete of the Week (Week 9), Iowa Conference Football Offensive Player of the Week (Week 3 and 9), d3football.com Team of the Week (Week 3, 4, 6, 8, and 9), and Beyond Sports Network Performer of the Week (Week 4 and 6). He also headlined the 2011 AFCA DIII Coaches All-American Team, Beyond Sports Network All-American Finalist, and D3football.com 2011 All-North Region Offensive Co-Player of the Year.

Zweifel, graduated in December with a 3.90 grade-point average with a major in Health, Wellness, and Recreation, was also named the Capital One CoSIDA Academic All-America of the Year, a finalist for the Allstate AFCA Good Works Team, and featured on the NCAA's online On Campus Show.