March 22, 2023
Fueled by our continued pursuit of excellence on and off the playing court, St. Mary’s Athletics and Rattler Basketball are set to undergo a set of transitions involving two long-time staff members.
Head Men’s Basketball Coach Jim Zeleznak (B.A. ’79) will move into a newly created Director of Corporate Sponsors role after spending the past 44 years coaching. Meanwhile, Herman A. “Bubba” Meyer III (B.A. ’01, M.A. ’04) — Zeleznak’s long-time assistant — will take over the reins as the Head Men’s Basketball Coach.
“I can’t thank Jim enough for the way he has taken care of our student-athletes during our time together,” said Rob Coleman, Executive Director of Rattler Athletics. “From the way the team has competed to the level of community service the team has been involved with to their overall success academically, the results of his efforts have been greatly appreciated. Jim has also been instrumental with a host of our major fundraising events, none more important than the Buddy Meyer/Athletics Golf Tournament. We will now use his strengths in another fashion — administratively — to benefit the Athletics program moving forward.”
Coleman added that “Bubba has an innate ability to connect and build relationships with the student-athletes of today. Once we build out our staff, we will begin building the culture and the passion necessary to become a championship program.”