ELF: All Europe LB Zachary Blair signs with Milano Seamen

| American Football | 12/31/2023

The Milano Seamen of the European League of Football have definitely bolstered their defense with the addition of the NCAA Div. II career tackles-for-loss record holder Zachary Blair.

The veteran linebacker, who spent the 2023 season with the Cologne Centurions where he led the team by a wide margin with 73 tackles including four sacks and 18 tackles for loss. His resume since arriving in Europe in 2017 is impressive and includes stops in Italy, Poland, Turkey, Finland, Romania, and Germany.

The 6’2″ 220-pound linebacker was a key part of the Istanbul Rams defense the season before finishing second in the league with 127 total tackles. The well-travelled defender also finished second in the league with 25 tackles for a loss. To go along with his stat sheet-stuffing tackling ability, Blair blocked six kicks, forced two fumbles, and had one interception for the Rams in 2022, earning a 2022 ELF All-Star nod. 

In 2021, Blair played for the Stuttgart Surge leading the team with 66 total tackles and his average of 9.4 tackles a game ranked him third in the league. The 26-year-old defender also made an impact on special teams blocking four kicks. He is currently playing for the defending national champion Bucharest Rebels in Romania.

Before joining the ELF in 2021, Blair played with the Warsaw Mets in Poland for the early part of 2021. Prior to that, he spent part of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season in Finland with the Wasa Royals and recorded 14.5 tackles and 3 tackles for loss, in four games. Blair also played the last four games of 2019 with the Royals recording 31.5 tackles including 8.5 tackles for loss. He spent the first part of 2019 playing in Poland for the Bialystok Lowlanders making 58 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, and eight sacks. In 2018, his first year with the Lowlanders, he had 75 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, and four sacks. The record-setting linebacker first arrived in Europe playing for the Ancona Dolphins in Italy’s Division I in 2017 and immediately had an impact with 66.5 tackles, 17.5 tackles for loss, and two sacks.

The native of Front Royal, Virginia, enjoyed a stellar collegiate career at UVA-WISE (NCAA Div. II) where he set the NCAA career record for tackles for loss with 77.5. He was named Virginia’s small college Linebacker of the Year in 2016 after amassing 87 tackles in 11 games. He also won the award in 2015.

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