Picture perfect career
Work by NFL photographer shown at Pittsburgh gallery
That guy in the Dos Equis beer ads might be the Most Interesting Man in the World, but Michael Zagaris could well be a close second.
He was at the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles on the night in 1968 when Robert Kennedy was assassinated and slipped on Kennedy鈥檚 blood. He lived with Peter Frampton and his wife in London for a while, and hobnobbed with George Harrison. He had a firsthand view of 1970s rock and roll decadence when he went out on the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd.
But even though Zagaris can happily regale you with tales about classic rock legends and political royalty, his first love and lifelong passion has been sports photography. He got his first taste of it when he was in high school when he would use discarded press passes to get onto the field at Kezar Stadium in San Francisco to snap photos of the 49ers. He eventually became the team鈥檚 official photographer and, as a result, took photos of gridiron legends who were part of the 49ers and the teams that opposed them. Zagaris was able to get up close to the likes of Joe Namath, Joe Montana, Franco Harris and Vince Lombardi when they were on the field or pacing on the sidelines.
According to Zagaris, 鈥淚 still love what I do.鈥�
His photos may capture the grit and sweat of the playing field, but they can now be examined in the tidier, more rarefied world of art galleries. The exhibit, 鈥淢ichael Zagrais: 60 Years of NFL Photography,鈥� is being presented at the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust鈥檚 707 Gallery at 707 Penn Ave. It鈥檚 there to coincide with the NFL Draft, which gets underway in Point State Park and outside Acrisure Stadium Thursday.
While in Pittsburgh in late March, the 81-year-old Zegaris talked expansively about his work, which has also been captured in a book, 鈥淔ield of Play: 60 Years of NFL Photography,鈥� published in 2022.
鈥淚 just wanted to get on the field,鈥� he recalled.
That first happened when he was a teenager in the early 1960s. Seeing press passes that had been cast aside, Zagaris grabbed one, and decided to use it and bring his camera with him to an upcoming game. He wore appropriate attire, made sure he looked like he belonged and no one bothered him. The only time police grew suspicious, he told them he was working on a book and asked the officers to pose for him.
鈥淣ow, you鈥檇 be thrown out of the stadium and probably arrested,鈥� Zagaris said. 鈥淚 wanted to be in the show. If I couldn鈥檛 play in the league, I wanted to be the next best thing.鈥�
He played football and baseball in college, and worked in Kennedy鈥檚 Senate office. While attending law school at George Washington University, he helped out on Kennedy鈥檚 1968 presidential campaign. On the dais with Kennedy after he declared victory in the California Democratic primary, Zagaris was trailing behind Kennedy when the shots rang out.
鈥淚 thought they were firecrackers,鈥� he recalled.
Kennedy鈥檚 death a little more than a day after he was shot was a pivotal moment for Zagaris. He grew disillusioned with law school and politics, read Aldous Huxley鈥檚 鈥淭he Doors of Perception,鈥� dropped acid and dropped out. He snapped some photos at San Francisco rock concerts when the likes of The Who and the Grateful Dead were playing at venues like the Fillmore West and the Winterland Ballroom, and when he showed Eric Clapton some of his work while they were sharing hashish, the guitarist was so impressed he told Zagaris he should move to London and be part of the city鈥檚 rock scene.
It was there that he stayed with Frampton and his then-wife, Mary Lovett. Though Frampton鈥檚 commercial breakthrough was still a handful of years away, he was acquainted with most of the key players in British music, including Harrison.
鈥淕eorge was my favorite Beatle,鈥� Zagaris noted. 鈥淟ike so many other people, they鈥檙e just people who just happen to be good at what they do. They鈥檙e just people.鈥�
He eventually migrated back to California, where he finagled his way into snapping more photos of San Francisco 49ers games. By 1973, he was the team鈥檚 official photographer, and attained a similar role for the across-the-bay Oakland A鈥檚 in 1981.
鈥淚鈥檇 played baseball and football all through college,鈥� Zagaris said. 鈥淲e were all the same age. It was just like young guys going out and playing. I didn鈥檛 feel any separation.鈥�
Over the years, his work was seen by readers of Time Magazine and 缅北禁地 Illustrated. All told, Zagaris snapped images at 34 Super Bowls and 12 World Series.
The realms of both sports and popular music have changed seismically since he first aimed his camera at quarterbacks and guitar slingers six decades ago, Zagaris acknowledges. 鈥淚t was a different world,鈥� he lamented. 鈥淣othing was corporatized, the way it is now.鈥�
Nevertheless, Zagaris isn鈥檛 interested in putting away his camera and watching games purely as a spectator.
鈥淚鈥檓 still doing it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檒l listen to my body and I鈥檒l keep doing it as long as it鈥檚 fun.鈥�
鈥淢ichael Zagaris: 60 Years of NFL Photography鈥� will be at the 707 Gallery through Nov. 8. For information, go online to trustarts.org.