Zachary Russell Peters, a Plano, Texas native who played college basketball at Kansas and the University of Arizona before building a successful career in data analytics and real estate, died on October 29, 2024. He was 31 years old.
Peters was born on March 2, 1993, to Timothy and Christy Peters, and grew up in Plano, where those who knew him remembered a young man of uncommon energy, warmth, and devotion to the people he loved.
Growing up in Plano, Peters attended Prestonwood Christian Academy, where he became one of the most decorated student-athletes the school had seen in years. He was a standout on both the basketball court and the football field.
In basketball, he helped guide Prestonwood to TAPPS state championships in 2010 and 2012, while the team also reached the state final in two other seasons. Peters earned first-team all-state honors four times during his high school career and averaged 15.5 points and 9.0 rebounds per game as a senior.
On the football field, he caught more than 1,000 receiving yards and hauled in 13 touchdowns during his final season alone, earning all-state recognition there as well. College programs took notice, and Peters enrolled at Kansas for the 2012-13 season before eventually transferring to Arizona.
A Life That Kept Growing Beyond the Game
At the University of Arizona, Peters suited up as a redshirt freshman for the 2013-14 Wildcats, a team that made a deep run in the NCAA Tournament, including a third-round victory over Gonzaga.
He appeared in 11 games that season before injuries began to take a toll. Rather than let the end of his playing career slow him down, Peters shifted his focus to academics and finished his degree at Southern Methodist University in 2017.
What followed was a career that reflected the same competitive instincts he had shown on the court. Peters carved out a name for himself in the data industry, advising clients that included successful gubernatorial and presidential campaigns.
His ability to process complex information and deliver results made him a trusted voice among political professionals.
Outside of work, he became known among friends and family as a gifted cook who loved bringing people together around a meal, and his enthusiasm for dogs was something everyone around him noticed immediately.
In 2023, Peters turned toward a dream he had carried since childhood, launching a land and home development project in the Cabo San Lucas region of Mexico.
He is survived by his parents, brothers Evan and Garrett, nephew Russell, grandmother Mary Weber, and his significant other, Caroline Griffith. Donations in his memory may be made to the Koolen-de Vries Syndrome Foundation at www.KDVSfoundation.org.
