Synergy Supplements opens in Hays as Zollinger brings coaching career 'full circle'
Bryan Zollinger is excited to be back in Hays after nearly 30 years and “bring his coaching career full circle.”
The 51-year-old got his start coaching 28 years ago as an assistant to Rick Keltner, the Hays High School boys basketball head coach.
Zollinger went on to Atwood High School where he was the head basketball coach and assistant football coach to Dan Lankas during a portion of Lankas’ 17 winning seasons with the Atwood Buffaloes. Later, Zollinger moved to the junior college ranks as both an assistant and head basketball coach. The last 10 of those years were at Seward County Community College in Liberal where Zollinger coached the SCCC Saints to five Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference Western Division championships and two regional championships. During that time Zollinger coached six All-Americans and won nine Coach of the Year awards.
“After 23 seasons in the trenches of college coaching and becoming a father, I felt it was time to make some changes that were more conducive to raising my daughter,” Zollinger said. “It was creating a lot of stress in my life. I was torn between what I needed to do as a college coach and being home with my daughter. I didn’t think I was doing the right thing as a coach or as a single dad. Ultimately, I felt the right thing to do was choose family.”