Editor’s Note: This is a guest post from Daniel House of Vikings Corner. It’s part of the #MoreThanWords campaign raising funds for The Mike Zimmer Foundation. With over $8,000 raised ($10,000 original goal) and deadline extended until August 9th, there’s no reason why we can’t smash donation records for Coach. Donate TODAY.
Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer is well-known for his edgy coaching style. His tough love approach and fiery persona have transformed the Minnesota Vikings into contenders in the NFL. However, those close to Zimmer know the other side of the passionate football coach.
The road to landing a head coaching job in Minnesota has Zimmer battled-tested in the game of life and football. As a coach, Zimmer won a Lombardi trophy as an assistant in Dallas. After spending 13 seasons in Dallas and one in Atlanta, Zimmer became one of the best defense coordinators in the league while in Cincinnati. However, none of those accomplishments equal the experiences Mike Zimmer has endured off-the-field. When it comes to handling life, Mike Zimmer is an illustrious MVP.
In October of 2009, Zimmer’s life changed forever. His wife and confidant, Vikki, unexpectedly passed away at age 50 of natural causes. Mike had lost his wife of 27 years.
The passing of Vikki was one of the most difficult moments of Zimmer’s life. During this tragedy, he had to find strength for his family. The man who was known for being the tough football coach, mustered resilience for his kids Corri, Marki, and Adam.
“It was important that we came together,” Zimmer said.
Zimmer received so much support from Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis and owner Mike Brown, but he was very overwhelmed by how the players in Cincinnati rallied around him for support. It attests to the respect and level of admiration his players developed for him.
“Really, honestly, the support of the football players was probably as important as everything else,” Zimmer explained. “It was a tough time that we had to lean on each other. All those other people were there to support me and I was there to try to support my kids.”
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