Dr. Z

Starred review from August 1, 2017

Zimmerman, known as "Dr. Z," covered football and other sports for nearly 50 years as a Sports Illustrated writer and columnist. He was renowned for his extensive film study, thorough analysis of games and players, and distinctive yet caustic voice. At the outset of the 21st century, he began writing his life story but suffered a stroke in 2008. His friend and Sports Illustrated colleague King has done sports fans a favor by editing what Zimmerman had completed, adding supplemental material from Dr. Z's best work for the magazine to fill out this animated autobiography. The narrative is vibrant and funny, but that no new material will be introduced from this giant of football writing makes this a bittersweet reading experience. Zimmerman was grumpy, loud, opinionated, and droll about everything that meant anything to him. This lively account is filled with great stories from an engaged life, which included sparring with Ernest Hemingway; reporting on Olympics in Mexico City, Munich, and Moscow; and interviewing football greats. VERDICT King has done yeoman's work in producing this incomplete but brilliant memoir of a singularly fascinating world figure.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

August 1, 2017

Zimmerman, known as "Dr. Z," covered football and other sports for nearly 50 years as a Sports Illustrated writer and columnist. He was renowned for his extensive film study, thorough analysis of games and players, and distinctive yet caustic voice. At the outset of the 21st century, he began writing his life story but suffered a stroke in 2008. His friend and Sports Illustrated colleague King has done sports fans a favor by editing what Zimmerman had completed, adding supplemental material from Dr. Z's best work for the magazine to fill out this animated autobiography. The narrative is vibrant and funny, but that no new material will be introduced from this giant of football writing makes this a bittersweet reading experience. Zimmerman was grumpy, loud, opinionated, and droll about everything that meant anything to him. This lively account is filled with great stories from an engaged life, which included sparring with Ernest Hemingway; reporting on Olympics in Mexico City, Munich, and Moscow; and interviewing football greats. VERDICT King has done yeoman's work in producing this incomplete but brilliant memoir of a singularly fascinating world figure.

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from September 1, 2017
Dr. Z was the title bestowed on Zimmerman during his 28-year run as Sports Illustrated's lead football writer. He was a former college and semipro player, possessed a tremendous knowledge of the game, and honed his craft at small and midsize newspapers around the country. He started this memoir during a 2006 sabbatical from SI, but his writing ceased and his life was diminished by a series of strokes in 2008. Today he's unable to read, write, or speak. His friend and successor at SI, Peter King, saw the raw manuscript and, with the blessing of Zimmerman's wife, edited it and found a publisher. Readers will be forever grateful. Dr. Z. wasn't all about football, though there's plenty of that here. He also covered five Olympics, was a wine connoisseur, collected stamps, liked to gamble, and was something of a ladies' man. The extended Olympic chapter is extraordinary, mostly for its cultural and social commentary. Zimmerman was well educated and remarkably well read, attributes that always informed his sports writing. This outstanding collection will be found money to all of Zimmerman's fans. Expect significant demand from fans who value literate football writing.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)