Dr. Ryan K. Zapalac

Dr. Zapalac is a first-generation college graduate originally from Pearland, TX and proud to be a three-time Cougar alumnus from the Department of Health Human Performance at the University of Houston. Originally wanting to teach and coach, Dr. Zapalac had courses with Dr. Demetrius Pearson and Dr. James Zhang in his senior year, both of whom spoke with him about continuing his studies in the graduate Sport and Fitness Administration program. Dr. Zapalac finished his B.S. in Kinesiology in 1998 and then started the M.A. in Physical Education – Sport and Fitness Administration a few weeks later. After completing his Master’s degree in 2001, Dr. Zapalac began his Ph.D. in Kinesiology under the guidance of Dr. Dale Pease, who had background in Sport Psychology and an interest in sport consumer behavior. Dr. Zapalac found ways to link the concepts of sport consumer behavior with different approaches to sport marketing.

“It all started with the Kinesiology and Sport Management faculty taking an interest in me both as a student and a person. When I had questions about career paths, Drs. Pearson and Zhang took extra time to help me discover what I wanted to do. I always had a passion for learning more about why sport fans do what they do in pursuit of supporting their teams. Drs. Pearson, Pease, Whisenant, and Zhang helped me find teaching and research opportunities to build on that passion and laid the foundation for all I have been able to do in my career. I owe a tremendous amount of gratitude to them, as well as Drs. Smith and Layne (past HHP Department Chairs), for the complete support they all provided me while I was a student at UH. That level of support is something that I have tried to emulate with my students over the past 20 years,” Zapalac stated.

Sixteen days after he defended his dissertation, Dr. Zapalac joined Rice University’s Sport Management program as a Lecturer, where he worked for two years. In 2006, he joined Sam Houston State University (SHSU) as an Assistant Professor to help revise the Master’s program in Sport Management. Dr. Zapalac and his colleague, Dr. Brent Estes, revised the curriculum and moved the coursework to The Woodlands, TX, where the program has been in operation since 2007. Since that time, SHSU’s Sport Management program has placed students in a wide range of sports careers. Dr. Zapalac finds tremendous value in helping students get to the career they are looking for because of his experience while he was a student in the HHP department.

Since joining SHSU, Dr. Zapalac has been promoted to Associate Professor (2012) and Professor (2020) within the Department of Kinesiology. Additionally, he has served as Assistant Department Chair (Dept. of Health and Kinesiology, 2011-2014), Department Chair (Dept. of Kinesiology, 2014-2015), and Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Graduate Programs, and Community Engagement (College of Health Sciences, 2018-present). Dr. Zapalac has authored or co-authored over 25 peer-reviewed publications, 6 book chapters, and has over 50 international, regional, and statewide presentations. Dr. Zapalac has served on the Editorial Board for the Global Sports Business Journal (GSBJ), as Associate Editor for the Texas Association of Health, Physical Education, Recreation, and Dance (TAHPERD) Journal, and as Associate Editor for International Journal of Multidisciplinary Graduate Research (formerly Graduate Research Journal). Dr. Zapalac has also been nominated for the SHSU Excellence in Teaching Award, the TAHPERD Scholar Award, and was a member of SHSU’s inaugural High Potential Employee Leadership Academy in 2013.

Dr. Zapalac is married to his wife Elizabeth and they reside in Conroe, TX with their daughter Ava and their three dogs, Oreo, Haley, and Indy.