Tribune-Democrat sports writer Mike Mastovich, who covered "Zimmie" years ago, wrote the story about his death for Sunday's Tribune-Democrat, which is in the link above.
My family's ties to Zimmie date to 1983, when he took a team of area all-stars, which included my brother Larry, to wrestle in California, Hawaii and New Zealand. The trip further cemented Larry's love for wrestling and, by extension, my family's connection to the sport.
That was just one of the things that Zimmie did for wrestling in the region. During his decades in the coach's chair, he undoubtedly impacted the lives of wrestlers at Richland High School, but he also helped countless others gain media attention. Mike Mastovich told me how Zimmie and Lou Crocco of Westmont helped him get through his first season of wrestling coverage, when he knew very little about the sport. Matt Maisel Twitted that Zimmie did something similar for him during the former WJAC-TV repoter's first trip to the state tournament.
After he retired from coaching, Zimmie even covered the sport for The Tribune-Democrat. This was before I joined the Sports Department. I can remember him writing stories on dual meets and tournaments as well as penning columns for the Tribune. While he wasn't a trained journalist, his love for the sport was never in doubt.
He was inducted into the District 6 Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2010 as a coach and contributor to the sport.
Later, Zimmie stayed involved with the sport as he often traveled with Mark Dugan, who compiles the Off the Mat rankings, to tournaments across the state until 2012, when heart problems limited his ability to attend wrestling events. I wrote about his absence in this column.
I've gotten updates on his health over the years through one of his daughters. He was born with a congenital heart defect and has had heart problems for years. Despite the health issues, he was able to land a cameo in the "Foxcatcher" movie, which is what the attached photo is from.
You can read his full obituary here, but since I know that some of you can't access the Tribune website, I wanted to pass along the details of his service. Friends and Family will be received from 2 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, June 2, 2015, at Harris Funeral Home, 500 Cherry Lane, Richland, where service will be held at 1 p.m. Wednesday.
I considered Zimmie to be a friend and a great ambassador for the sport. He will truly be missed.
