Former Area High School Coach, Redskin Player Joe Zeno Dies at 72

Joe Zeno, retired football coach and member of the Washington Redskin team that won the 1942 NFL championship, has died at 72.

Zeno died Jan. 8 at a Glendale hospital of complications of Parkinson’s disease, said his daughter, Mary Jane Barnett of Carmichael, Calif.

Born in Boston, Zeno played at Holy Cross before joining the Redskins. He played both offense and defense at guard and tackle from 1942-44, taking off 1 1/2 years to serve in the Army during World War II.

The Redskins beat the Chicago Bears for the ’42 NFL title, 14-6. Zeno played the 1946 and ’47 seasons for the old Boston Yanks.

He came to California in 1960 and was assistant football coach at Arcadia High School for a season before moving to Santa Paula High, where he was head coach until his retirement in 1974.

Zeno’s sons, Joe and Larry, and his twin grandsons, Lance and Eric, are former UCLA football players.

Zeno was captain of the Redskins during part of his career.

“For a guard to call the plays in the huddle is unheard of now and probably was back then,” said Larry Zeno, who was a UCLA quarterback from 1962 to 1964. “He was knowledgeable of the game and was well-liked.”

A funeral Mass is scheduled for 10 a.m. Saturday at Holy Family Catholic Church, 220 E. Elk Ave. in Glendale, with burial to follow at San Fernando Mission Cemetery in Mission Hills. Donations can be made in Zeno’s name to Holy Cross.