National Football Foundation

A 6-foot-4, 235-pound tackle for Army, C. William Zadel ranked in the top 20 percent of his class, making the dean’s list twice as an engineering science major. He was one of the most outstanding blockers for three years. Occupying the positions of Squad Leader, Platoon Sergeant, Battalion Training Officer, Battalion Administrative Officer and Acting Company Commander, Zadel won the coveted Recondo Patch for superior performance in patrolling, mountaineering, survival training and techniques. The class vice president was honored as a Second Team All-American in 1964, and he appeared in the North-South Shrine Game and the Coaches All-America Game.

Zadel joined the Marines, and in May 1967 he was sent to Vietnam, assigned to MAVC as an assistant battalion advisor to the 39th Vietnamese Ranger battalion out of Danang. During his service in Vietnam, he received two Bronze Star Medals, one with the Combat V, the Purple Heart, and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.

After resigning his commission as captain, Zadel embarked on a career in business. He earned his MBA from the University of Chicago in 1974, and he served in senior management positions at several Fortune 500 companies. Zadel became the CEO of Millipore Industries and then CEO of Mykrolis Technologies before retiring in 2005. He oversaw the creation of Mykrolis, which included ringing the opening bell on the New York Stock Exchange the first day Mykrolis stock traded on the exchange. Zadel passed away in September 2011 at the age of 68.