It took 20 years but a fiery and tested Derek Zellner finally realized his goal. 

In 2015, he was named Gilbert head coach.

“If it means that much to you and you have a passion for it, the road may be long, but no matter how hard it is, if it’s worth it to you you’ll persevere,” Zellner said.

Zellner began as an assistant coach with high schools across the Valley in 1994 before he landed his first head coaching job three years ago.

“This was my ultimate goal, to get a head coaching job,” Zellner said.

The perception has changed around the Gilbert football program since Zellner arrived.

“Coach Z has been grinding his tail off to make this program as best as he possibly can,” defensive lineman Manuel Meza said. “He really does mean a lot to Gilbert. It means a lot that Coach Z is here.”

Zellner is finding ways to put Gilbert (4-2) in its best possible position to win games, even if it means not being home as much.

“He puts in all this time and effort just to help us,” defensive lineman Garrett Budge said. “He lives here more than his actual home.”

Zellner humbles himself by continuing to do the things he used to do as an assistant coach. “Even though I’m the head coach, I still treat myself as an assistant,” Zellner said.

Before Zellner became an official coach, he helped his old  Dobson coach Mike Clark with the quarterbacks in 1990.

“I went and saw my high school coach and he said, ‘Come coach the quarterbacks. You know what you’re doing. Volunteer when you can.’”

Zellner sometimes traveled from Northern Arizona University to help coach Friday night games for Dobson.

Zellner walked onto NAU to play quarterback, then left and got a job. 

Zellner knew it would be difficult to play at NAU because coaches wanted their quarterbacks to be the prototypical 6’5,” 220 pounds and stand in the pocket.

Zellner stood at 5’10” and weighed 170 on a good day. 

Zellner, a former state champion quarterback at Dobson, said he regrets not going to a smaller school to play football because he believes that experience would have helped him earn a head coaching opportunity sooner.

After Zellner graduated from NAU, Clark gave him a shot as a junior varsity assistant coach at Dobson in 1994. Zellner appreciated the foundation the two seasons created for his coaching endeavors.

"It was great people who gave me an opportunity and helped teach me and educate me,” Zellner said.