A lot happens to a Monmouth College student during four years on campus. The difference between a wide-eyed freshman version of a student and the mature senior model can be profound.

The transformation is not only physical but can also be observed through a student’s actions, habits and words. From one day to the next, the changes are virtually undetectable, but added up through the years, they produce an inner transformation that propels individuals to success in their adult life.

A recent graduate who made his share of outward and inner transformations during his four years at Monmouth is Justin Zigler ’06, who is now a physical education teacher at Polo High School, where he serves as head wrestling coach and assistant football coach.

“The progress that Justin made in his four years here was just tremendous,” said MC football coach Steve Bell, who recruited the 190-pounder out of Prophetstown High School.

By the time Zigler had finished his career as a Fighitng Scot, he was a 235-pound beast that no opponent looked forward to meeting.

“He really transformed his body type, and that’s a tribute to his work ethic, which is unmatched,” said Bell. “You just hope you can fill up a roster with players willing to work as hard as he did in his career. When Zigs stepped between the lines, he was all business.”

And business was good. Zigler earned a first team spot on the 2005 NCAA Division III All-American Team compiled by Don Hansen’s National Weekly Football Gazette and was also the Linebacker of the Year in the West Region. During Monmouth’s magical campaign, which saw the Scots go 10-0 in the regular season and reach the NCAA playoffs for the first time in school history, Zigler set the MC single-season tackle record with 115 on his way to shattering the career mark with 361. He was the Midwest Conference’s Defensive Player of the Year while earning his third straight all-league selection.

“He has a tremendous amount of ability, but it’s his motor that runs constantly that impresses you,” said Bell in 2005. “You don’t see that very often. And when he hits people, it makes a different sound.”

“Whenever you get the great hit, the great sack, it always drives you, but the main thing that drove me (in 2005) was the conference championship,” said Zigler. “It’s something the school hadn’t had in so long.”

Zigler had another motivation that season: trying to prove one of his teammates wrong. It actually concerned another physical transformation that he experienced, this time on his face.

“We were sitting around, and one of my teammates bet me that I couldn’t go the whole football season without shaving,” he said.

Zigler actually started the beard over the summer, and he managed to make it through a job pulling concrete in the Illinois heat with his facial hair still intact. After that, he said, keeping “the hideous thing on my face” through his team’s 10-game winning streak became symbolic of the team “striving to do everything we wanted to do.”

It also became a permanent part of Zigler, who still sports a beard today.

Zigler’s drive certainly was a key factor as he and his teammates achieved their goal in 2005. But there was another drive inside him that lasted well beyond the two hours of daily practices and the fall Saturday afternoons.

“I knew when I was high school what I wanted to do,” said Zigler of his career as a P.E. teacher.

But despite that grasp of the big picture, Zigler said he needed some guidance to get there.

“I wasn’t focused right off,” he recalled. “I was like most freshmen, and I really didn’t know what to expect.”

Some of the academic guidance Zigler received came from his football coaches, whom he credited for pushing him toward success. But he was also given a plan by the educational studies department – in particular, faculty members Melinda Grimm and Tom Sargent – and, said Zigler, “I stuck to it.”

Grimm credited Bell for pushing Zigler to the head of the class – literally.

“I knew that Coach Bell encourages or suggests that football players sit in the front rows or seats to make sure they can be fully engaged in the class,” she said. “Unlike some of the other players, Justin was in the front row, right under my nose. He did not try to act entitled or disrespectful as some people in his position do. Justin had a very sincere attitude in his attempt to be an attentive learner. He was self-assured and mature enough to ask questions without hesitation and also was a ready participant in class discussions.”

When asked about his hard work on academics, Zigler replied, “There was also an inner motivation. I knew that there were few P.E. jobs out there, and a lot of P.E. teachers. I didn’t want to just start out as a sub and hope that I could eventually get a full-time job. I strived to get a job that I wanted, and that meant I had to distinguish myself in college.”

Zigler did just that, making the dean’s list and being named to the Academic All-Midwest Conference team as a senior. Grimm said he also triumphed in less measurable ways.

“What I noticed in the course of Justin’s years here was that he became a leader of his peers and was well respected by both students and faculty,” she said. “I would say that Justin grew in his sense of who he was and what he wanted to do with his life. I fully expect Justin to continue with his education and move on to administrative duties – especially as an athletic director – as he is a very disciplined and organized young man. I am very proud of Justin’s accomplishments here at Monmouth.”

Zigler especially remembers education classes with Kari Shimmin (Elementary School P.E.) and Grimm (Foundations of Education) that provided a lot of practical information. He said he also benefited from his teacher aiding experiences, which took him to P.E. classes in Knoxville and Roseville, as well as three schools in Monmouth.

“The education department helped me tremendously, not only with my studies, but also on how to prepare for job interviews and things like that,” he said.

Zigler did indeed get the job he wanted, allowing him to not only teach P.E. but also to return to a sport – wrestling – that he had enjoyed in high school. He is now taking his role in the “circle of life,” passing on his knowledge to his student-athletes.

“Everyone thinks that high school doesn’t matter, but it does,” he said. “I tell them to prepare themselves on the mats and in the classroom. The discipline it takes for both of those will help them as they move on in life.”

High school certainly matters, and it’s the stepping stone to getting into a student’s college of choice. For Zigler, who at the time picked Monmouth because of its campus and the helpful people he met, college changed everything.

“I would not be where I am today without Monmouth College,” he said. “It’s meant everything to me. Meeting the professors, coaches, teammates and friends that I did is one of the greatest experiences that I’ve ever had.”