This article will answer every question you have about Mike Zimmer. Below are some of the frequently asked questions about him.
- What does Mike Zimmer do for a living?
- Who are Mike Zimmer’s parents and siblings?
- What are Mike Zimmer’s interests and hobbies?
- Is Mike Zimmer married or does he have a girlfriend?
- Does Mike Zimmer have any children?
- Where is Mike Zimmer now?
- How tall is Mike Zimmer?
- How much money does Mike Zimmer earn?
- What is Mike Zimmer’s net worth?
N/B: Please read the entire post to have all your questions answered.
Who is Mike Zimmer?
Michael Zimmer professionally known as Mike Zimmer is a popular American football coach. He is currently the head coach for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). Before joining the Vikings in 2014, Mike served as a defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, Atlanta Falcons, and Cincinnati Bengals from 1994-2013. He additionally won Super Bowl XXX in 1996 with the Dallas Cowboys.
Mike Zimmer playing career
Zimmer was a successful multi-sport athlete in high school. He received all-conference honors in football (1972-730 baseball and wrestling at Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Illinois. Mike then joined Illinois State University and played quarterback in 1974, redshirting the next year and moving to linebacker in 1976 after breaking his thumb.
In the same year, his playing career was prematurely halted by a neck injury. He positively influenced his college teammates by his constantly ”up” attitude, mostly in hot August pre-season double workouts. Zimmer also backed up quarterback Bob Lopez in 1974, who went on to later set many of the college’s passing records.
How old is Mike Zimmer?
Michael Zimmer was born on June 5, 1956, in Peoria, Illinois, U.S., and is aged 65 as of 2021. He shares his birthday with famous people including Mark Wahlberg, Sam Darnold, Nick Kroll, Amanda Crew, Brian McKnight, Chelsey Crisp, DJ Mustard, Jeff Garlin, among others.
Mike Zimmer Family
Who are Mike Zimmer’s parents?
Michael Zimmer was born in Peoria, Illinois, to Bill Zimmer and his wife Ann Zimmer. Bill is a former NFL player and coach, who died at the age of 84 on August 12, 2015. His mother’s information is not available to the media as it has not been shared.
Does Mike Zimmer have siblings?
Zimmer was born to his parents in a family of three children as the oldest. He has two siblings, sister Karen Bates and brother Bill Zimmer Jr.
Mike Zimmer Education
Zimmer studied at Lockport Township High School in Lockport, Illinois where he received all-conference honors in football, baseball, and wrestling. He then attended Illinois State University and graduated with a degree in physical education.
Mike Zimmer Interest
Zimmer’s interest in football began as an inspiration from his father who was an NFL player and coach. Zimmer played football, baseball, and wrestling in high school and got all-conference honors from the school. He was a successful multi-sport athlete who went on to play football in college, although his career was ended by a neck injury.
Mike Zimmer Wife
Zimmer was married to his loving wife Vikki Zimmer. She died unexpectedly at their home in Ohio on October 8, 2009. The couple was blessed with three children. Currently, he is rumored of being in a relationship with his girlfriend, Katarina Miketin.
Mike Zimmer Kids
Zimmer and his late wife, Vikki have three children together, Adam Zimmer, Corri Zimmer, and Marki Zimmer. Adam is the Vikings’ linebackers coach and co-defensive coordinator. He also worked as an assistant linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints during their Super Bowl-winning season.
Mike Zimmer Height
Zimmer has an athletic, muscular and well-built body, adding up to an impressive height of 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) and a medium weight of 66 kg (145.50 lbs).
Mike Zimmer Net Worth
American football coach and former college player, Zimmer is currently the Vikings’ head coach from 2014. He has coached other college and NFL teams in the past and has built a reputation on his coaching career. Zimmer earns a salary of $5 million at the Vikings and has gathered an accumulative net worth of $12 million as of 2021.
Coaching career
College
Mike’s initial coaching job was as a part-time defensive assistant from 1979-1980 at the University of Missouri. Later he coached from 1981-1988 at Weber State, working as the inside linebackers coach, from 1985-88 as the defensive backs coach, and from 1983-99 as the defensive coordinator. He worked for the Washington State Cougars from 1989-1993 as the defensive coordinator. The Cougars’ defense ranked eighth in the country in total defense and second in rushing defense in 1993.
NFL
Dallas Cowboys
In 1994, Zimmer joined the Dallas Cowboys as an assistant coach of the nickel defense under Barry Switzer. In 1995, he was promoted to defensive backs coach and worked in the role prior to being promoted to defensive coordinator in 2000. While running an aggressive speedy 4-3 defense, the 2003 Cowboys gave up the fewest yards in the NFL. In spite of the Cowboy’s issues over the years, Mike survived several coaching changes (Switzer, Chan Gailey, Dave Campo, and Bill Parcels). He was rumored to be a candidate for the head coaching position at the University of Nebraska (circa 2003), Zimmer implemented the 3-4 defense favored by head coach Bill Parcels in 2005, despite not having any experience with it before.
Atlanta Falcons
After Bobby Petrino was hired by the Atlanta Falcons as coach in early 2007, Zimmer agreed to be the new defensive coordinator. He coached in Atlanta for only one season following Petrino’s departure for the University of Arkansas after thirteen games. Mike has not spoken against Petrino following his unexpected departure from Atlanta in 2007.
Cincinnati Bengals
On January 15, 2008, Mike was named by the Cincinnati Bengals as the defensive coordinator. The next year he received NFL Assistant Coach of the Year honors from Pro Football Weekly/Pro Football Writers and from CBSSports.com, after guiding the team to the 4th ranked defense in the League. The Bengals completed with the 7th ranked defense in total yards and 9th ranked defense in points allowed in 2011.
The team then completed with the 6th ranked defense in total yards and 8th ranked defense in points allowed in 2012. This led to the Cleveland Browns interviewing Mike for their vacant head coach position. On January 11, 2013, the Browns finally hired former offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski.
Minnesota Vikings
Mike got his first head coaching role on January 15, 2014, when the Vikings hired him to take the position of Leslie Frazier. He is the 9th head coach in Minnesota Vikings history. Om September 7, 2014, Zimmer attained his first win as the Vikings Head Coach with a score of 34-6 against the St. Louis Rams. He also concluded his first year with a record of 7-9, an improvement over the 2013 record of 5-10-1. Additionally with the best record for a first-year head coach in the Vikings franchise since Dennis Green in 1992.
2014 to 2016
Zimmer improved his 2014 record by closing the 2015 season with an 11-5 record. As well as winning the NFC North, stopping Green Bay’s streak of four consecutive division titles, giving the Vikings their first since 2009. The Vikings were defeated by the Seattle Seahawks 10-9 in the wild-card playoff at TCF Bank Stadium while playing in sub-zero temperatures and the third-coldest game in NFL history. Mike signed a contract extension with the Vikings on July 28, 2016, and the terms of the contract were not disclosed.
During the October 31, 2016, Monday Night Football game against the Bears, Mike suffered from a detached retina. This was on a windy night at Soldier Field when the edge of his play card, which was laminated blew into his eye. He then underwent emergency eye surgery on November 30, 2016, leading to him missing the Vikings’ Thursday Night Football game against the Cowboys. For the game, special teams coach, Mike Priefer served as interim coach. Zimmer later finished the 2016 NFL season with an 8-8 record and they failed to get to the playoffs. Later he led the team to one of the greatest seasons in franchise history in 2017.
2017 to 2018
The Vikings completed 13-3, rating with the seventh-best regular-season record in franchise history in terms of win percentage. They were also able to get the second-best 16-game regular-season record in franchise history. It is only the 1998 Vikings who hold a better record, at 15-1. The 2017 Vikings defeated the Saints in the playoffs in the divisional round with a last-season touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs, known as the ”Minneapolis Miracle”. Later they lost the NFC Championship game to the final Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles. Mike became the fourth head coach in Minnesota Vikings history to get 40 victories on September 9, 2018. The team finished the 2018 season with a record of 8-7-1 and did not make the playoffs.
2019-2020
The Vikings made an option to keep Zimmer to 2020 on February 27, 2019. He then became just the third coach to surpass 52 franchise wins, passing Jerry Burns; trailing only Dennis Green (97) and longtime coach Bud Grant (158) on October 24, 2019. The Vikings were also able to come back to the postseason in 2019, following their failure to make it the previous year. The Vikings fell to the top-seeded 49ers in the divisional round 27-10, after beating the Saints 26-20 in overtime in the wild-card round.
Mike signed a three-year deal extension in late July 2020, retaining him as head coach through 2023. The Vikings suffered a ”down year’ with a record of 7-9 in 2020 after being hindered by injuries and opt-outs of many main defensive players. They included superstar defensive end Danielle Hunter missing out of the whole 2020 season due to a neck injury and new free-agent acquisition Michael Pierce opting out of the season due to Covid-19. The team missed out on the playoffs and finished third in the NFC North. That was Mike’s first losing season as a head coach since 2014.
