Former Charger Rolf Benirschke takes helm of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Board of Trustees

Rolf Benirschke, a former NFL placekicker and son of renowned conservationist Dr. Kurt Benirschke, has been elected the chair of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Board of Trustees, the organization announced Tuesday. He previously served as vice chair of the nonprofit, which operates the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

Benirschke has a long history with the zoo, where his late father was a visionary scientist credited with pioneering the creation of the Frozen Zoo, a cryogenic cell bank for endangered species. Kurt Benirschke, who also served as president of the zoo’s board, died in 2018 at the age of 94.

Before launching his football career, the younger Benirschke initially had planned to become a field biologist. He worked in the research lab at the zoo while attending UC Davis, where he majored in zoology, he recounted in an interview with an NFL alumni association publication.

When playing for the San Diego Chargers, he created Kicks for Critters, a fundraising and awareness platform for the zoo and endangered species that asked fans to pledge money for the zoo for every field goal he made in a game. He also st...