Jeff Zimmerman (football player)
Encyclopedia
Jeffrey Alan "Jeff" Zimmerman (born January 10, 1963) is a former American college and professional football
player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League
(NFL) for four seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Zimmerman played college football
for the University of Florida
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys
of the NFL.
in 1963. He attended Maynard Evans High School
in Orlando, Florida
, and played high school football
for the Evans Trojans.
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
and coach Galen Hall
's Florida Gators football
teams from 1983 to 1986. Zimmerman was one of the members of the Gators' outstanding offensive line of the mid-1980s known as the "Great Wall of Florida," which included Phil Bromley, Lomas Brown
, Billy Hinson and Crawford Ker
. Behind the blocking
of Zimmerman and his Great Wall teammates, the Gators' quarterback Kerwin Bell
, fullback
John L. Williams
and halfback
Neal Anderson
led the Gators to identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records and best-in-the-SEC
records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 in 1984 and 1985, respectively. Zimmerman was a first-team All-SEC selection and a first-team All-American in 1985 and 1986.
Zimmerman in the third round (sixty-eighth pick overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft
, and he played in thirty-four games for the Cowboys from to .
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player who was an offensive lineman in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
(NFL) for four seasons in the late 1980s and early 1990s. Zimmerman played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for the University of Florida
University of Florida
The University of Florida is an American public land-grant, sea-grant, and space-grant research university located on a campus in Gainesville, Florida. The university traces its historical origins to 1853, and has operated continuously on its present Gainesville campus since September 1906...
, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
of the NFL.
Early years
Zimmerman was born in Enid, OklahomaEnid, Oklahoma
Enid is a city in Garfield County, Oklahoma, United States. In 2010, the population was 49,379, making it the ninth largest city in Oklahoma. It is the county seat of Garfield County. Enid was founded during the opening of the Cherokee Outlet in the Land Run of 1893, and is named after Enid, a...
in 1963. He attended Maynard Evans High School
Maynard Evans High School
Maynard Evans High School is a high school located in Orlando, Florida, United States served by Orange County Public Schools. The school's name is often shortened to "Evans High School" and the mascot for the school are the Trojans....
in Orlando, Florida
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
, and played high school football
High school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
for the Evans Trojans.
College career
Zimmerman received an athletic scholarshipAthletic scholarship
An athletic scholarship is a form of scholarship to attend a college or university awarded to an individual based predominantly on his or her ability to play in a sport...
to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville, Florida
Gainesville is the largest city in, and the county seat of, Alachua County, Florida, United States as well as the principal city of the Gainesville, Florida Metropolitan Statistical Area . The preliminary 2010 Census population count for Gainesville is 124,354. Gainesville is home to the sixth...
, where he played for coach Charley Pell
Charley Pell
Charles Byron "Charley" Pell was an American college football player and coach. Pell was an Alabama native and an alumnus of the University of Alabama, where he played college football. He is most notably remembered as the head coach of the Clemson University and the University of Florida...
and coach Galen Hall
Galen Hall
Galen Samuel Hall is an American college and professional football coach and former player. He is a native of Pennsylvania, and an alumnus of Penn State University, where he played college football...
's Florida Gators football
Florida Gators football
The Florida Gators football team represents the University of Florida in the sport of American football. The Florida Gators compete in the Football Bowl Subdivision of the National Collegiate Athletics Association and the Eastern Division of the Southeastern Conference...
teams from 1983 to 1986. Zimmerman was one of the members of the Gators' outstanding offensive line of the mid-1980s known as the "Great Wall of Florida," which included Phil Bromley, Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown
Lomas Brown, Jr. is a former American college and professional football player who was an offensive tackle in the National Football League for eighteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s. Brown played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played...
, Billy Hinson and Crawford Ker
Crawford Ker
Crawford Francis Ker is a former American college and professional football player who was a guard in the National Football League for six seasons during the 1980s and early 1990s. Ker played college football for the University of Florida, and thereafter, he played professionally for the Dallas...
. Behind the blocking
Blocking (American football)
In American football, blocking is a legal move occurring when one player obstructs another player's path with his body. The purpose of blocking is to prevent defensive players tackling the ball carrier, or to protect the quarterback while attempting to pass or hand-off the ball...
of Zimmerman and his Great Wall teammates, the Gators' quarterback Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Bell
Kerwin Douglas Bell is an American college and professional football coach and former player who was a quarterback in the National Football League , World League of American Football and the Canadian Football League for fourteen seasons in the 1980s, 1990s and early 2000s...
, fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
John L. Williams
John L. Williams
John L. Williams is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for ten seasons during the 1980s and 1990s...
and halfback
Halfback (American football)
A halfback, sometimes referred to as a tailback, is an offensive position in American football, which lines up in the backfield and generally is responsible for carrying the ball on run plays. Historically, from the 1870s through the 1950s, the halfback position was both an offensive and defensive...
Neal Anderson
Neal Anderson
Charles Neal Anderson is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League for eight seasons in the 1980s and 1990s...
led the Gators to identical 9–1–1 overall win-loss records and best-in-the-SEC
Southeastern Conference
The Southeastern Conference is an American college athletic conference that operates in the southeastern part of the United States. It is headquartered in Birmingham, Alabama...
records of 5–0–1 and 5–1 in 1984 and 1985, respectively. Zimmerman was a first-team All-SEC selection and a first-team All-American in 1985 and 1986.
Professional career
The Dallas Cowboys draftedNFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
Zimmerman in the third round (sixty-eighth pick overall) of the 1987 NFL Draft
1987 NFL Draft
The 1987 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987...
, and he played in thirty-four games for the Cowboys from to .
See also
- 1985 College Football All-America Team1985 College Football All-America TeamThe 1985 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
- 1986 College Football All-America Team1986 College Football All-America TeamThe 1986 College Football All-America team is composed of various organizations that choose College All-America teams that season. The organizations that chose the teams were Associated Press, United Press International, Newspaper Enterprise Association, Football Writers Association of America,...
- Florida GatorsFlorida GatorsThe Florida Gators are the intercollegiate sports teams that represent the University of Florida located in Gainesville, Florida. The "Lady Gators" is an alternative nickname sometimes used by the Gators women's teams...
- Florida Gators football, 1980–1989
- List of Dallas Cowboys players
- List of Florida Gators football players
- List of University of Florida alumni