Zach Crossley

Zach Crossley

No. 80 – Myrtle Beach Buccaneers
Position:	Wide Receiver
Personal information
Born:	(2016-04-03)April 3, 2016 (aged 45) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:	5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)
Weight:	176 lb (80 kg)
Username:	Ajtigger
Career information
High school:	Lower Merion
College:	University of Tennessee - Martin
ISFL Draft:	2040 / Round: 3 / Pick: 42
DSFL Draft:	2039 / Round: 9 / Pick: 3
Career history
Roster status:	Retired

Zach Crossley (born April 3, 2012) was an American football wide receiver for the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers .He played college football for University of Tennessee - Martin and was drafted by the San Jose SaberCats in the 2040 ISFL Draft

Early years

Crossley was born in Philadelphia, PA to his parents Jared and Minerva Crossley. Zach is the youngest child in his family, born after his sisters Jane (25) and Brianna (23).

At a young age, Crossley excelled at his first true love, basketball. Crossley and his team won the Philadelphia city 7th and 8th grade city championships. However due to his limited height, he decided to pursue football once he reached highschool age. Crossley was a natural talent at both receiver and punt returner and was named to the all county team as a junior and senior for both positions. In addition to his success on the football field, Crossley also was a gifted track athlete. He qualified for the state championships in the 800 meter as a Junior and Senior, and his 4X400 meter relay team participated in the Penn relays his Sophomore season. Crossley also excelled academically in highschool as a member of Lower Merion's chapter of the national honor society.

College career

Due to limited recruiting in highschool, Crossely chose to walk on the University of Tennessee - Martin football team as the school also gave him an opportunity to continue his track career. As a true freshman, Crossley played sparingly for the Skyhawks. His biggest impact was in a game against Eastern Illinois where he was able to return a punt 56 yards and also contributed 2 catches for 16 yards.

Crossley's freshman season and strong preseason convinced the UTM coach to grant Crossley a full scholarship and the starting punt returner role for his sophomore season. Crossley had a strong sophomore season as a returner including a shocking two touchdown game against Tennessee State. His performance won him the Ohio Valley Conference Special teams player of the week. In addition to his special teams efforts, Crossley also caught 22 passes this season for 285 yards.

Crossley's junior year saw him step away from his punt returner duties to focus more of his time on being a slot receiver. Despite the Skyhawks struggling to a 2 - 8 record, Crossley was able to establish him self as a true threat. The receiver hauled in 58 passes for over 550 yards. His biggest game was against Murray state where Zach had 118 yards and a TD.

Crossley's final season at UTM was a breakout year for him and the team. Crossley caught 98 passes for over 900 yards and 12 touchdowns. He was a third down machine converting over 60 catches into first downs for the Skyhawks. UTM was able to have a stellar season in which they won the OVC title before being knocked out of the FCS playoffs by University of New Hampshire in the first round. For his efforts, Crossley was awarded first team all OVC honors.

College career statistics

Use this page to get the stats table template.

DSFL career

After being selected by the Myrtle Beach Buccaneers in the DSFL draft, Crossley began his career as the starting slot receiver for the team. He made his professional debut in the Buccaneers 27 to 17 victory against the Kansas City Coyotes. Despite dropping the first pass thrown his way, Crossley had a strong showing for the team with 4 catches for 47 yards. 3 of the 4 catches went for a Buccaneers first down.

Crossley struggled the next few weeks of the season, including a a poor effort against Tijuana where he only had one catch for six yards. In addition to the limited amount of help on offense, Crossley struggled to control his emotion during the game and picked up two personal foul penalties that cost his team momentum on two keys drives. Crossley later acknowledged, in his weekly Crossley Chronicles articles, that he needed to keep his cool and make sure to not hurt his team with his antics. Crossley was able to bounce back during the team's week 4 loss to the Norfolk Seawolves. Crossley once again had four catches and caught his first professional touchdown, a 10 yard strike from Jackie Daytona that tied the game at 14 in the second quarter.

The rest of season was an up and down affair for Crossley as he adjusted to the DSFL. The Buccaneers also were struggling at the quarterback position, not deciding on a full time starter until late in the season when Jackie Daytona took over for Owen Holloway. After the change, the Buccaneers had a much more successful passing game and Crossley reaped the benefits. His best game as a professional came in the final game of the season. Crossley pulled in six catches and set a team record with three touchdowns in the game. Myrtle Beach ended the season on a high note with a 7-7 record and a 54-10 drubbing of the Minnesota Grey Ducks. Although the team failed to qualify for the playoffs, there was much optimism for Crossley and the Buccaneers heading into the next season.

Pre-draft measurables

Ht	Wt	40‑yd dash	20‑ss	3‑cone	Vert jump	Broad	BP	Wonderlic
5 ft 8 in (1.73 m)	176 lb (80 kg)	4.34 s	4.00 s	6.93 s	27.3 in (0.69 m)	130.2 in (3.31 m)	6 reps	20

Professional career statistics

Career statistics			Receiving
Season	Team	Games	Rec	Yards	Avg	Lg	TD
2039 (S24)	Buccaneers	14	32	312	9.8	19	6