Richard “Ziggy” Ziegler finished his first season as an assistant coach with the Union College women's basketball team in 2025-26.
Ziegler's first year at Union was a record-setting one, as the Garnet Chargers posted a 22-6 record - tied for the second-most wins in a season in program history - and swept the Liberty League regular-season and tournament championships for the second time ever in 2025-26. Union captured the program's second conference tournament title and first since 2004, while Union was recognized as the D3hoops.com Region 3 Coaching Staff of the Year and the Liberty League Coaching Staff of the Year. Individually, senior Jelena Perovic was named a WBCA All-America honorable mention and earned D3hoops.com All-Region honors alongside sophomore Olivia Cunningham, with the pair also honored as the Liberty League Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively.
Ziegler previously served as an assistant coach at fellow Liberty League school Skidmore College for three seasons. During his tenure at Skidmore, Ziegler helped the Thoroughbreds to three postseason appearances, including an appearance in the championship game during the 2023-24 season. During his time in Saratoga Springs, he helped to develop one Liberty League Player of the Year, one Defensive Player of the Year, and three All-Conference honorees.
Ziegler was instrumental in leading a youthful 2021-22 Skidmore squad, comprised of nine underclassmen, to a 14-10 record and a berth in the Liberty League postseason. His efforts were further rewarded the following season when the Thoroughbreds secured the Liberty League Championship and earned the program’s first-ever victory in the NCAA Tournament.
In the interim between his tenures at Skidmore, Ziegler served as an assistant coach at his alma mater, the University of New Haven. During that season, he helped guide the Chargers to a 17-9 overall record, including a 12-8 mark in the NCAA Division II Northeast-10 Conference, culminating in the program’s first home playoff game since 2015.
Ziegler began his coaching career as a volunteer video coordinator at Western Michigan University during the 2014-15 season, when the Broncos posted a 20-13 record. He subsequently served as a graduate assistant at Michigan State University for the 2015-16 season, contributing to the Spartans’ 25-9 campaign. He also held assistant coaching positions at Norwich University and Stockton University for three seasons.
A native of Wildwood Crest, N.J., Ziegler graduated from New Haven in 2014 with a bachelor’s degree in Management of Sports Industries.
