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Zamperini was born January 26, 1917, in Olean, New York
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After a summer of running in 1932, starting with his first cross-country race, and throughout the last three years of high school, Zamperini was undefeated
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1934, Zamperini set a world interscholastic record for the mile, clocking in at 4:21.2 minutes at the preliminary meet to the California state championships.
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In 1936, Zamperini decided to try out for the Olympics. In those days, athletes had to pay their way to the Olympic Trials
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He enlisted in the United States Army Air Corps in September 1941
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In April 1943, during a bombing mission against the Japanese-held island of Nauru, the bomber was badly damaged in combat.
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On May 27, 1943, while on the search, mechanical difficulties caused the bomber to crash into the ocean 850 miles (1,370 km) south of Oahu, killing eight of the 11 men aboard.
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On their 47th day adrift, Zamperini and Phillips reached land in the Marshall Islands and were immediately captured by the Japanese Navy. They were held in captivity, severely beaten, and mistreated until the end of the war in August 1945.
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He was chosen to serve as Grand Marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade, held before the college football playoff game in his home state of California. After Zamperini's death on July 2, 2014, the Tournament announced that it is "committed to honoring him as the Grand Marshal of the 2015 Rose Parade". At the parade, Zamperini's family followed USC mascot Traveler as a riderless horse
