“Zac’s a great person,” said Head Coach Chris Rusiewicz. “I think it’s important to know that about Zac.”

With a whopping 78 players, the Guilford football team might seem like an intimidating sea of maroon and white to some. In reality, however, it is made up of individuals who are more than just the number on their jersey. 

Zac Halbert, sophomore quarterback, is one of those individuals. 

“(Zac) doesn’t take things for granted,” said Halbert’s mother Heather Halbert, ’87, in an email interview. “He works incredibly hard at the things he’s passionate about and he has high expectations for himself in those areas. He doesn’t complain; when he was in the hospital in September I don’t think I heard him complain once.” 

As a sports management major, Halbert has interests in other sports such as soccer and basketball and hopes to pursue a career in the sports field after Guilford. Nevertheless, it is clear that right now his true passion is football.

“I grew up with it my whole life,” said Halbert. “My dad, he coached it at Lenoir-Rhyne. So I grew up just watching football games and (being) around football my whole life. I just love the sport.” 

His passion for the sport is one of his greatest strengths as a player.

“He just really want to be here,” said Rusiewicz. “His commitment level is very high. His dedication, his love for the game, his want to succeed, all those things are great attributes along with his talent.”

Interestingly, Halbert is left-handed, a rarity for quarterbacks.

This is not the only thing that makes his story unique.

Before transferring to Guilford, Halbert spent a year playing for Brevard College, a Division II school. He also recently recovered from a heel injury that required surgery.