Lou Zivkovich

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The son of Canadian immigrants, Lou Zivkovich attended the University of Miami where he received a degree in Physical Education and English. He then played five years as a defensive end for the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League. His greatest fame came at age 33 when he earned $1000 for appearing as the July 1974 centerfold in Playgirl magazine. In this photospread, (taken during an expense paid trip to Hawaii), the muscular and hirsute Zivkovich displayed his 6'4" 216 lb. physique -- 46" chest and 35" waist -- in a series of shots which consistently featured full-frontal nudity. Curiously, there were no rear-view shots.

Copies of the magazine quickly became something of a collector's item and even sparked brief talk of an acting career for Zivkovich. (He played a supporting role in a McMillan and Wife episode which aired on October 26, 1975.)

However, there were unfortunate ramifications. The high school in Apple Valley, California, where Zivkovich worked as a phys-ed teacher fired him, charging that his appearance in a nude centerfold showed he was not a proper role model for students. Many of these students as well as fellow teachers then came to the defense of Zivkovich who stated: "I don't see anything wrong with a nude body that is a work of art." The case went to a state appeals panel which admonished Zivkovich for a "mistake in judgment" but ruled in March of 1975 that he could not be fired.

Sources: July 1974 Playgirl magazine, February 24, 1975 Newsweek magazine, and March 5, 1975 Minneapolis Star newspaper.