Editing Coach Z

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{{Infobox Main Character|img=Very Newest Coach Z.PNG|imgalt=He has more than two problems.|domicile=Locker Room|voice=[[Matt Chapman]]|debut=Where My Hat Is At?|3Dimg=CoachZ3D.png|3Dalt="Hey, watch where y'er pointin' that 3D!"}}

'''Coach Z''' is the "{{w|Coach (sport)|coach}}" of the residents of [[Free Country, USA]], though it is unclear exactly which sports he coaches. While occasionally tiresome, and burdened with "more than two" socially awkward problems, he is always ready to offer encouragement and is rarely critical of anyone. 

==Characterization==
Coach Z can often be found at the [[gymnasium]] or [[race track]] (indeed, he seems to live in the accompanying [[locker room]]), providing vague coaching or similar involvement with various athletics. When giving advice, he tends to start with the phrase "You can't just rush into the score zone", which has lost its meaning through time. In addition to working as a coach, Coach Z works with [[Homestar Runner]] and [[Bubs]] as the apparent [[Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon|local law enforcement]] in [[Free Country, USA]].  Coach Z is also the janitor at [[the office]] where Homestar and [[Strong Bad]] work.  He is paid on hourly wage and is clearly jealous that Strong Bad is paid on salary. He has also spent time [[Blubb-O's Commercial|dressed as the Blubb-O's Drive-Thru Whale]] mascot. Coach Z owns four [[Wikipedia:Tony Award|Tony awards]], suggesting that he may have a background in theater. Despite his numerous jobs, Coach Z has trouble managing his money, causing his electricity to be shut off each year.

Coach Z is a fan of [[hip hop]] and rap music, particularly the {{w|Wu-Tang Clan}}.  He fancies himself a rapper as well: he released the single "[[These Peoples Try to Fade Me]]", which appeared on [[Strong Bad Sings and Other Type Hits]]; his solo album "The Z Is All Up Ins", featuring the smash hit "[[New Boots|Hip Hop Dance]]"; and his own rap song, "[[Rap Song]]" (featuring [[Peacey P]] and [[Tenerence Love]]).  Although his usual rapping prowess consists mainly of "count[ing] to two over and over again", as explained in [[nightlife]], he once had a very successful career during his days in the [[Two-O Duo]]. More recent works such as "[[Loading Screens]]" and "[[Fish Eye Lens]]" may indicate that his rap skills are starting to improve.

[[File:Sketchbook 07-23-2009.png|thumb|Over the hill?]]
Coach Z's [[Ages of Characters|age]] is somewhat ambiguous, though he typically is portrayed as older than characters like Strong Bad and Homestar: he appears to be grown up when Strong Bad was a kid in the email [[stand-up]] as well as appearing as an adult in 1974 in the 'toon [[Decemberween short shorts]]; in [[caffeine]], Strong Sad's slaps provoke him to cry out "I'm just an old man!"; in [[slumber party]], Strong Bad refers to him, [[Bubs]], and [[The King of Town]] as "older kids"; and while narrating an interaction between Coach Z and Bubs in [[narrator]], Strong Bad labels them both as "weird old men".  

Coach Z and [[Bubs]] [[Bubs and Coach Z's Relationship|had a falling out]] at one point, as [[Fall Float Parade]] shows us; Bubs makes a "Coach Z, you jerk!" float for the parade, and Coach Z retaliates by saying "Serves him right, then" when [[Strong Mad]] steals [[Bubs Concession Stand|his concession stand]]. In the email [[narrator]], it was shown that they had made-up and returned to having boring conversations about [[Bubs's napkins]]. However, in [[Most In The Graveyard]], when it is implied that Coach Z fancies Bubs' sister, Bubs beats him up. In the same toon, it is also revealed that Coach Z and Bubs may actually be very distant cousins, although Bubs finds this hard to believe.

==="More than two problems"===
{{seemain|Coach Z's Problems}}
[[Image:Coach z butt.PNG|thumb|An unshaven Coach Z talking about his butt.]]
As Coach Z himself is not afraid to admit, he's got [[Who Said What Now?|more than two problems]]. Despite being a coach, he doesn't know what a basketball is, as indicated in [[secret recipes]]. It has been strongly implied that he has a crush on [[Marzipan]], and he has occasionally made inappropriate comments about her; [[Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 5.0#Message 6|one occasion]] [[Marzipan's Answering Machine|on her answering machine]] when he was drunk, and another during the commercial break of the 4Tst annual [[Fall Float Parade]]. In [[diorama]], Coach Z even refers to Marzipan as his "gorgeous girlfriend". Coach Z also seems to have mental and gender confusion problems, as evidenced by the time he spent "talking to his parents" on a [[disconnected telephone]], and claiming to be a mother in [[garage sale]]. He has even stated on [[Marzipan's Answering Machine Version 8.0|one occasion]] that he sometimes "forgets what's real, and what's just in [his] head".  He has an apparent fixation with butts, and he seems to have a habit of [[butt-patting]]. He also has a slight obsession with ointments and body creams, like using 'Blue Star Ointment' to scare people in [[Halloween Fairstival]].  Many characters see him as a nuisance. Even Homestar treated Coach Z with contempt in [[Decemberween Short Shorts]], quickly refusing to allow Coach Z to come to his house for [[Decemberween]].

===Accent===
{{seemain|Coach Z's Accent}}
Coach Z has great difficulty pronouncing certain words, such as "job" (as shown in the "[[A Jorb Well Done]]" cartoon); the most commonly mispronounced sounds are long e (e.g. The Cheat/"The Chort") and the short o (job/"jaerb"), which both come out as an "or" or "aer".

Occasionally, toons will imply that Coach Z is either deliberately playing up or entirely faking this manner of speech.

==Character Design and Conception==
{{seealso|Coach Z Evolution}}
[[Image:oldcoach.PNG|thumb|150px|"The 74s was the prime of my datin' year!"]]
''From [[UMFM Interview - 20 May 2003|a 2003 interview with ''UMFM'']]:''
<blockquote>'''[[MATT CHAPMAN]]:''' [Coach Z's accent] came from a depressing Midwesterner voice that me and some friends would do in college.<br/>
'''KEVIN SCOTT:''' With rapper lingo thrown in for good measure.<br/>
'''MATT:''' We thought that was the funniest part: here's this guy that's just this very white bread, blue-collar sounding dude {{-}} but he's down with old school hip hop, and up on the latest in hip hop.</blockquote>

Coach Z's name is derived from a nickname given to [[Craig Zobel]] {{--}} though Zobel was not particularly into sports, [[Giant Magazine Interview|college friend Bill Kramer called him "Coach Z"]]. Around the same time, [[Mike Chapman]] was writing the book ''[[Where My Hat Is At?]]'' and needed a coach character. With Zobel's nickname in mind, the character was dubbed "Coach ''Zee''", though his name was simplified to "Z" after this initial appearance.

The character's distinctive voice is derived from many regional American accents {{--}} most prominently {{w|North-Central American English|Upper Midwestern}}, {{w|Midland American English|Midland}}, and {{w|Eastern New England English|Eastern New England}} {{--}} and further exaggerated for comedic effect. Inspiration comes from both [[Indiana]] relatives and a funny voice [[Matt Chapman]] would use.

===Appearance===
Coach Z wears a purple baseball cap with a blue bill. His head is a white sphere with light gray circles for eyes. Coach Z [[Lack of Visible Body Parts#Coach Z's Face|lacks a visible nose and mouth]], but is able to talk, eat, and spit with ease. He wears a large, gold "Z" medallion on his torso. His body is a bright green color, which is ambiguously either his skin or a body suit. His [[shapeshifter|sweatpants waistband]], [[Fish Eye Lens|"mittens"]], and [[Fan Costumes 2017|removing a skin-tight suit]] have been mentioned; alternatively, he has been shown to wear [[underlings|a bathing suit]] or [[Costume Commercial|a Halloween costume]] over the green. He has long arms and large feet, but very short legs.

{{Character Video Transcript}}

==Discography==
[[File:sbemail128.png|thumb|"I'm about to have a dope rhyme attack!"]]
*"[[These Peoples Try To Fade Me]]" (2003)
*"[[New Boots|Hip Hop Dance]]" (2004)
*"[[Rap Song]]" featuring [[Peacey P]] and [[Tenerence Love]] (2007)
*"[[being mean|Coach Z Gets Noice]]" (2008)
*"[[Loading Screens]]" feat. [[Strong Bad]] and [[Homestar Runner]] (2009)
*"[[Fish Eye Lens]]" (2014)
*"[[The Wraparound]]" (2019)

===As a member of Two-O Duo===
[[Image:BandTwo-ODuo.png|thumb|"One, two, one-one two."]]
*"Lets's TP The Stick"
*"Throwing Rocks Through Ol' Man Marzipan's Windows"
*"Stealin' Stuff From My Own Dang Store"
*"Kick the Chort"

===Features===
*"[[Strong Badia the Free|Downright Homey]]" by Peacey P (feat. The Traitorous Coach Z)

== Fun Facts ==
[[Image:torn_rubdominal_scrimmage.PNG|thumb|The emblem's a bone?]]

*According to the [[Old Characters Page]], Coach Z wasn't much of a coach at the time, and he just added the title because it sounded "cooler than just Z". He has been seen coaching on numerous occasions since then, though his talent at it is still dubious at best.
*According to [[trading cards]], Coach Z gave 23 [[Butt-Patting|butt pats]] in 1984 (22 to Homestar, 1 to himself).
*Strong Bad referred to Coach Z as "Green Bubs" in the email [[road trip]].
*In [[Date Nite]] he is shown without his hat and wearing hair curlers, despite a lack of visible hair.
*On Coach Z's emblem, the darker blue shine streak under the gold Z makes a backwards Z formation.
*Though not very expressive usually, later toons gave Coach Z an "angry eyes" expression (seen in [[Kick-A-Ball]] and [[hremail 3184]]).

<gallery>
Image:coachzs Z.png|Coach Z's emblem
Image:ZsNewMedallion.png|His emblem, squished / skewed / turned all around (from [[redesign]])
Image:Coach Z- no hat.PNG|A rare hatless appearance
</gallery>

== Relationships ==
:''Main article: [[Character Relationships]]''
*[[Bubs and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Strong Bad and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Marzipan and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Homestar Runner and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Strong Sad and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Strong Mad and Coach Z's Relationship]]
*[[Coach Z and The Cheat's Relationship]]
*[[Coach Z and Pom Pom's Relationship]]

== Variations ==
[[File:ZSabre.png|thumb|"You simpleton!"]]
*[[Fort Wayne Locomotive]] ([[Old-Timey]])
*[[Z Sabre]] ([[20X6]])
*[[Renaldo]] ([[Dangeresque (film series)|Dangeresque]])
*[[Zubs and Coach B|Coach B or Zubs]] 
*[[Coach Zed]]
*[[Strong Badman Characters#Damp Towel Man|Damp Towel Man]]
*[[Zoach C]] ([[Xeriouxly Forxe]])

=== [[Halloween Costumes]] ===
In each Homestar Runner Halloween special, Coach Z has dressed up as something rap or [[hip-hop]]-related, or in the case of Theo Huxtable and Malcolm, something he ''believes'' to be hip-hop related. Strong Bad has questioned how much Coach Z actually knows about these artists.

*{{w|Flavor Flav}} (of {{w|Public Enemy}}) in [[Homestarloween Party]]
*{{w|Shock G|Humpty Hump}} (of {{w|Digital Underground}}) in [[The House That Gave Sucky Treats]]
*{{w|Christopher Reid (rapper)|Kid}} (of {{w|Kid 'n Play}}) in [[Pumpkin Carve-nival]]
*{{w|Kool Moe Dee}} (of The {{w|Treacherous Three}}) in [[3 Times Halloween Funjob]]
*{{w|Tupac Shakur|Tupac}} in [[Halloween Fairstival]]
*{{w|Theodore Huxtable|Theo Huxtable}} (from ''[[Bill Cosby|The Cosby Show]]'') in [[Halloween Potion-ma-jig]]
*{{w|Queen Latifah}} in [[Happy Hallow-day]]
*{{w|So So Def Recordings}} Logo in [[Jibblies 2]]
*{{w|Lance Robertson|DJ Lance Rock}} (from ''{{w|Yo Gabba Gabba}}'') in [[Most in the Graveyard]]
*{{w|MC Skat Kat}} in [[Doomy Tales of the Macabre]]
*{{w|Loose leaf|Notebook paper}} ("The Rapping Paper") in [[Which Ween Costumes?]]
*[[A Tribe Called Quest]] (album cover mascot) in [[I Killed Pom Pom]]
*{{w|André 3000}} (of [[Outkast]]) in [[The House That Gave Sucky Tricks]]
*{{w|Kwamé}} in [[Later That Night...]]
*{{w|PaRappa the Rapper}} in [[Haunted Photo Booth]]
*{{w|Missy Elliott}} (as her head, with Pom Pom as {{w|The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)|her inflatable suit}}) in [[Mr. Poofers Must Die]]
*{{w|DJ Jazzy Jeff & the Fresh Prince|The Fresh Prince}}'s Mom in [[The Homestar Runner Enters The Spooky Woods]]
*{{w|Del the Funky Homosapien|Del}} (from {{w|Gorillaz}}) in [[Halloween Hijinks]]
*Malcolm (from ''{{w|The Legend of Kyrandia: Malcolm's Revenge}}'') in [[Halloween Hide & Seek]]
*{{w|Darryl McDaniels|DMC}} (from [[Run-DMC]]) in [[2022 Costume Pack Now Available]]
*A [[Beastie Boy]] (from ''{{w|Intergalactic (song)|Intergalactic}}'') in [[The Show: Ween Edition]]

[[Rejected costumes]] of Coach Z as {{w|The Noid}} and [[Bob & Doug McKenzie|Doug McKenzie]] have been shared; notably, these unused costumes have no connection to hip-hop.

==Quotes of the Week==
{{qotwstart}}
*{{qotw|"What kinda wood ya use there, Strong Bad? Cause y'know I knew a guy up in Paughkeegan who could work wonders with a piece of..."|[[The Luau]] extended take |Mirror:cz_wood.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"I think there's a Blubb-O's Li'l Lubber's meal rattlin around up there somewhere."|[[On Break]] outtake|Mirror:cz_lillubbers.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"You don't need no consummate V's to be my bride."|[[Trogday 08]] Easter egg|Mirror:cz_bemybride.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"Mmmmm! Drink in that bun!"|[[environment]]|Mirror:cz_drinkin.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"Coach Z, R-A-P. Accidentally featuring Peacey P..." ''{entire "Rap Song"}''|[[Rap Song]]|Mirror:rapsong.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"I feel like that school child on the first day of Christmas!"|QotW exclusive|Mirror:cz schoolchild.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"Oh. I guess I forgort to port. Oh! I guess I forgat to prat! OH! Gorka fa pork!"|[[mini-golf]]|Mirror:cz forgortport.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"You say tomater, I zader madermorts."|[[Fall Float Parade]]|Mirror:cz tomater.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"IT'S DAZZLE-MAZING!!"|[[Happy Fireworks]]|Mirror:cz dazzlemaze.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"Once again, [[Biscuit Dough Hands Man]] slips through our fingers!"|[[Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon]]|Mirror:cz slipthrufingers.mp3}}
*{{qotw|"It was Biscuit Dough Hands Man! I knew it!!"|[[Strong Bad is in Jail Cartoon]]|Mirror:cz bdhman.zip}}
*{{qotw|"My name is Coach Z. Pronounced with an 'oach Z'."|[[The House That Gave Sucky Treats]]|Mirror:cz oachz.mp3}}
|}

==See Also==
*[[Coach Z Evolution]]
*[[Coach Z Other Costumes|Other Costumes]]
*[[Nicknames#Coach Z|Nicknames]]
*[[Coach Z Talker]]
*[[Coach Z's 110%]]
*[[Coach Z pukes in dude's toupee]]

== External Links ==
{{nextlinks|vcr-cz|old=vcr_cz|title=Coach Z's character video|noquotes=true}}

{{Characters|Coach Z}}