Aug. 12--Bill Zimmer, the longtime Lockport High School football coach whose family has continued his legacy at the NFL level, died Tuesday night.
Zimmer, 84, passed away in Naples, Fla., a week after Minnesota Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and his son Adam, an assistant on his staff, left training camp at Minnesota State University-Mankato to visit with Zimmer. Bill Zimmer, a member of the IHSA Football Coaches Association Hall of Fame, was 84 years old.
Mike Zimmer conducted a walk-through practice with his team Wednesday morning and currently his plan is to remain with the Vikings through Saturday's exhibition game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at TCF Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.
Bill Zimmer coached Mike at Lockport High School and was the head coach at the school for 34 seasons, according to IHSA records. Bill Zimmer took over the program in 1960 and amassed a career record of 164-143-5.
"When you think of the real high school coaches that you admire, his dad was that guy," Carolina Panthers tight ends coach Pete Hoener told the Tribune last summer. Hoener recruited Lockport High when he was a college assistant in the late 1970's. "So Mike was raised in that atmosphere. I loved his dad and I see a lot of the same traits in Mike."
Mike Zimmer watched Vikings practice on his iPad with Bill Zimmer during their visit last week. Mike Zimmer talked about lessons he learned from his father at a young age that he applied in his rise through the coaching ranks as a longtime defensive coordinator in the NFL before becoming a head coach last year.
During training camp last summer, Mike Zimmer had a message programmed into his cell phone that popped up each morning: "How can we win with this team?" He learned that from his father, who adapted his schemes to the kids he had on the roster each fall.
"He's tough," Mike Zimmer told reporters last week after his visit. "He's way tougher than I am."
