{"id":1779,"date":"2023-07-31T15:39:11","date_gmt":"2023-07-31T19:39:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/?post_type=inductees&p=1779"},"modified":"2024-01-10T16:47:27","modified_gmt":"2024-01-10T21:47:27","slug":"jeff-zachary","status":"publish","type":"inductees","link":"https:\/\/www.sportsbroadcastinghalloffame.org\/inductees\/jeff-zachary\/","title":{"rendered":"Jeff Zachary"},"content":{"rendered":"
It isn\u2019t very often that a child who finds themselves in front of the camera becomes enraptured by what is going on behind the camera, but that is what happened to Sports Broadcasting Hall of Famer\u00a0Jeff Zachary<\/strong>\u00a0who, as a child, appeared in Armour hot dog commercials.<\/span><\/p>\n \u201cI was more intrigued by the behind the scenes and shooting it,\u201d he recalls.<\/p>\n That intrigue at a young age resulted in a Hall of Fame career as Zachary is considered one of the all-time-great Steadicam operators. He was the first person to bring Steadicam to NFL coverage, Super Bowls, PGA Golf, MLB All-Star Weekends and the Home Run Derby, the Kentucky Derby, FIFA World Soccer Finals, college football starting in 2006 at the BCS Rose Bowl Championship Game, the XFL, and the Jerry Lewis Labor Day Telethons. And he also was an innovator, creating specialty camera systems as well as playing a big role in 3D handheld, Steadicam and hard camera rig designs.<\/p>\n \u201cI was always intrigued with adding lateral movement to a shot,\u201d says Zachary of his love of running a Steadicam. \u201cI was always thinking about if I could get 20 yards in front of the receiver so that when the ball drops in near me, I can take off and make it to the goal line with them, providing a lateral stabilized tracking shot.\u201d<\/p>\n Zachary says he is grateful for Director\u00a0Craig Janoff<\/strong>\u00a0deciding to incorporate the Steadicam for the National Anthem and game coverage at Super Bowl XXXIV as it then led to\u00a0Don Ohlmeyer<\/strong>\u00a0and\u00a0Drew Esocoff<\/strong>\u00a0incorporating the Steadicam for the whole next NFL season. In turn, Esocoff and\u00a0Fred Gaudelli<\/strong>, tapped it for the next 17 years for Monday Night Football and then Sunday Night Football.<\/p>\n \u201cI am grateful for allof their support as well as the support of Hall of Famer\u00a0Dick Ebersol, Mark Lazarus, Ken Goss, Mike Sheehan, Sam Flood, Mike Meehan, Pierre Moossa, John Roche, Tim DeKime, Diane Solomon\u00a0<\/strong>and\u00a0Rob Hyland<\/strong>,\u201d he says. XFL Director\u00a0John Gonzalez<\/strong>\u00a0would also embrace Steadicam.<\/p>\n \u201cInitially I was allowed on the sidelines, then onto the field, but only to the numbers,\u201d he says. \u201cThen after \u2018good behavior\u2019\u2026 then to the huddle\u2026 then to the endzone. Getting to that point took time and the trust of the NFL.\u201d<\/p>\n Zachary has received 11 Sports Emmys, often working at some of the most important events in sports history. Among the highlights of his 47-year career as a camera operator and Steadicam operator are working the Ali vs. Holmes fight in 1980; FIFA World Cup Finals 1994; 26 NBA All-Star Games\/Slam Dunk Contests; 12 Super Bowls; 15 Kentucky Derbys; 13 MLB All-Star Home Run Derbys; U.S. Open Golf; Indy 500; 36 years of ABC\u2019s\u00a0Monday Night Football<\/em>, ESPN\u2019s and NBC\u2019s\u00a0Sunday Night Football<\/em>, Fox NFL, CBS NFL, and TNT NFL; 25 Pro Bowls; World League Football, XFL, NFL Network\u2019s\u00a0Thursday Night Football<\/em>, and the College Football Association (CFA); F1 Las Vegas 1982 and F1 Phoenix 1989; nine Presidential Inaugurations; presidential debates; Democratic and Republican Conventions; four Olympics; 33 years of boxing; 7 Ironman Triathlons; The Masters, The Ryder Cup, and NCAA Final Four in 3D; X-Games; World Figure Skating; The Skins; the Goodwill Games; and two America\u2019s Cups. He has also been an operator and producer on nine 3D feature concert films.<\/p>\n \u201cFor me, it all starts when a director, producer, and executives invite me to join them for their productions and to be able to experience some memorable moments, both in sports, historical events, and in film,\u201d he says. \u201cWithout those invites, I don\u2019t have the opportunities in my career that I am so grateful to have experienced.\u201d<\/p>\n