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Zimmerman now a Hall member

By Jeff Legwold, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published August 2, 2008 at 7:29 p.m.

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Former Broncos left tackle Gary Zimmerman stands next to his bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Photo by Kiichiro Sato/Associated Press

Former Broncos left tackle Gary Zimmerman stands next to his bronze bust at the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

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CANTON, Ohio — Calling himself “humbled and blessed,” tackle Gary Zimmerman became the second member of the Broncos to be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame Saturday.

Zimmerman, who said he had spent weeks on his Hall of Fame speech and was a man of few public words during his playing career, delivered a heartfelt thank-you to all those who had an impact on his playing career.

“Nobody starts out wanting to play offensive line; it’s just where we end up,” Zimmerman said from the podium. “Our job is to make our team’s stars shine.”

Zimmerman played five seasons with the Broncos — after seven with the Minnesota Vikings and two with the Los Angeles Express of the U.S. Football League –- a tenure that included the franchise’s first Super Bowl win, in 1998.

He was one of the few players in league history selected to two All-Decade teams -– in the 80s and 90s -– and was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection in his career. Zimmerman is now the 33rd offensive linemen and the 13th full-time tackle in the league’s modern era to be enshrined.

“To make it here today, with some of the best whoever played the game in the gallery, I am more humbled and blessed than I’ve ever been in my life,” Zimmerman said. “…I stand before you today a proud and gracious man.”

Zimmerman thanked former teammates and coaches from Walnut (Calif.) High School, the University of Oregon, the Express, the Vikings and the Broncos.

He told the story of arriving to Oregon for his freshman season, a place he said he had signed a letter of intent with because the school had promised him he could play middle linebacker, “and while dressing down for the first practice, I thought how strange it was I was No. 75.”

Zimmerman went on to explain how the coach had quickly pulled him aside and offered that his future was in the offensive line and to sum up his storied career with a quote from the Dalai Lama that “not getting what you want is sometimes a magical stroke of luck.”

Though Zimmerman was purposefully reticent in his playing days, at least in the public forum, he drew several laughs from the crowd, including when telling of his trials of sleepless nights before game day with the Broncos with the pressure of protecting John Elway’s blind side wearing on him. Calling it “the curse” of playing with a fabled quarterback and “that if you screw up you would forever be known as the guy who lost the franchise.”

Zimmerman thanked former Broncos offensive line, and current Texans assistant coach, Alex Gibbs, owner Pat Bowlen, coach Mike Shanahan and former teammate Mark Schlereth, calling him “my human playbook.”

Zimmerman closed his speech thanking his mother, his wife and daughters and acknowledging his late father.

Zimmerman chose Bowlen to present him, a task that proved far more emotional than Bowlen was prepared for. Bowlen called Zimmerman “the John Elway of the offensive line and the second-best player to play for me.”

But after several pauses to control his emotions, Bowlen finally ditched his notes near the end of his presentation, offering that he was too close to crying to continue.

Several current Broncos coaches, in addition to Shanahan, made the trip with offensive coordinator Rick Dennison, defensive backs coach Ronnie Bradford and running backs coach Bobby Turner in the audience.

Zimmerman also had invited several of his former teammates with the Vikings, including guard Randall McDaniel, who was among the list of players considered for induction into the Hall this past year.

ETC.: Hall of Famer Emmitt Thomas thanked many people in his speech, including current Broncos defensive line coach Bill Johnson as well as former Broncos head coaches Wade Phillips and Dan Reeves

Comments

  • August 2, 2008

    9:15 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    platoro79 writes:

    Zim was one of the best----man, to have another one like him!! The O-Line was so great in those Super Bowl glory days, we need to return to that.

  • August 2, 2008

    9:56 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Dynamicdave writes:

    platoro79, it's too early to say anything of this nature, but Clady has all the tools. Let's give him the support he needs and take it one game at a time.

  • August 2, 2008

    10:03 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Pigskin writes:

    Zim did a great job. His speech was concise and had a couple moments of genuine humor.
    It was great to see another Bronco inducted into the Hall. The fact that he was only the second one is a joke, but that's another story.
    I hope the Broncos have Clady watching endless reels of film on Zim. If he can be half that good, he'll be worth his weight in gold.
    As for Bowlen, I'm not sure the "emotion" thing was the reason he wanted to bail out from the lectern. Here's an oil magnate, lawyer, and influential NFL owner and you'd think he'd never done any public speaking in his life.

  • August 2, 2008

    10:14 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    SLoganSt writes:

    There seem to be alot of second best players in Broncos history. Didn't Bowlen just say that last week about Rod Smith?

  • August 2, 2008

    10:21 p.m.

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    BUCKSHOTT2006 writes:

    I must agree with Pigskin; Pat Bowlen acted as though he was inibriated during his introduction of Gary Zimmerman. For a man in his position, one would have thought his remarks would have been much more professional. In my opinion, he really ruined what should have been a great introduction. It's hard to believe that he is such a poor public speaker.

  • August 2, 2008

    10:46 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    levilevi writes:

    Bowlen looked diminished. I was embarassed for Zim..he deserved better for whatever the problem was, bad public speaker, dementia, alcohol, etc.. But just like he carried the Broncos his speech carried the day. It was well put together, had some humor and was entertaining. Great job as always by HOFer Zimmerman. Now maybe we know what the problem with the Broncos is and why the Master Mind is running the show.

  • August 3, 2008

    6:30 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    Vector049 writes:

    Sorry, never heard of him.

  • August 3, 2008

    8:42 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    denvrgalintx writes:

    I agree. Pat Bowlen stumbled to the podium, and sounded like he was tanked. Poor Zim. I felt the occasion was ruined because Bowlen. Imagine being enshrined in the hall of fame and the one person you choose to do your introduction speech ruins the occasion. Bowlen owes him a huge apology. Someone should have protected Zim from his "fearless leader" and cut off the alcohol. Bowlen is self centered and started off the sppech " I'm very nervous up here, bear with me" It is always about Bowlen. GEEZ!

  • August 3, 2008

    9:49 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    kc02 writes:

    Pat Bowlen's speech was a total disgrace. You would think if he was so "honored" as he said, he could have spent a little time thinking about what he would say. It was awful. And they showed the presenters, the owners, sitting and talking amongst themselves the whole time the inductees were speaking. Disgraceful. Pat Bowlen out to be ashamed of himself.

  • August 3, 2008

    9:55 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    ham writes:

    I bet if Zimmerman could do it all over again, he would have Elway do it. Anybody but Bowlen. That was terrible for a person inducting someone into THE PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME, to get up there and not even know what he wanted to say. It was embarrassing to Bronco fans. Sad, sad, sad. He ruined it for Zimmerman and Bronco fans.

  • August 3, 2008

    10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    MarcoPolo writes:

    Shannon will have the first bust that comes with audio: "We need as many men as you can spare, cuz we are killin' the Patriots!"