Gold Jacket Spotlight: Gary Zimmerman, a wise and humble giant

Few offensive linemen quote a religious figure known for promoting nonviolence when summarizing a pivotal moment in their careers.

GARY ZIMMERMAN wasn’t like most of his National Football League peers.

During his enshrinement speech in 2008, Gary — a 6-foot-6, 300-pound behemoth accustomed to the violent environment of an NFL line of scrimmage — referenced the Dalai Lama. The Buddhist’s insight helped lead Zimmerman to Canton and, this week, into the Gold Jacket Spotlight:

“Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a great stroke of luck.”

After receiving countless offers from Division I institutions, the University of Oregon was the only school willing to sign Gary as a middle linebacker. With that in mind, he chose to sign his letter of intent with the Ducks in 1980. To his surprise, he was given the number 75, one middle linebackers don’t wear.

Gary immediately knew things were not about to go how he originally envisioned. 

After his first practice, Gary’s coaches explained that they believed his future lay as an offensive lineman. Despite the crushing news, he adopted the mentality of “turning lemons into lemonade” and bringing a middle linebacker’s approach to his new position.

This humbling experience proved to be a catalyst for a future Hall of Fame career that totaled 14 professional seasons in two leagues.

Gary soon became known for his athletic abilities, tenacity and desire to play football. He also became a constant supporter of his teammates and their careers.

“He made me a better player from the way he practiced. He made me a better student of the game,” former Denver Broncos teammate Mark Schlereth said.

With great character also came great durability.

Gary’s streak of 169 consecutive games played and 184 total games speak to his durability and capacity to conquer pain. Over the course of his career, he underwent multiple surgeries, yet through all of them he remembered the principles and values his father taught him when dealing with adversity: grit, integrity, courage and determination.

“Every football player has been hurt more than they want to admit,” Gary said. “I have a college coach that was famous for saying, ‘You’ve got to know the difference between injury and pain.’ When you get hurt, fear enters the equation, and I wasn’t afraid for myself; I was afraid I would let my teammates down.”

Gary delivered time after time. He might sit out some reps during the week, but come Sunday, he was on the field ready to help his team.

“He was the epitome of the offensive tackles (who play) today,” former Denver teammate Rod Smith said. “Gary Zimmerman was that way before the guys that are (playing) now.”

Shoulder surgery ultimately ended Gary’s 169-game streak in the 1996 season. Despite missing the final two games of the season, he earned his seventh Pro Bowl nod and was named a first-team All-Pro for the third time.

With his injuries, Gary knew the time to hang up his shoulder pads was coming. In 1997, he retired — or so he thought. The Broncos made it to Super Bowl XXXII and needed help on the offensive line. Gary returned to the lineup in the postseason and helped the franchise claim the NFL title.

Friends, teammates and coaches know Gary as the humble giant. His opponents know him as the force capable of making them a nonfactor in a game.

“He was a quiet leader, but he had respect when he got to the Broncos,” former teammate Ed McCaffrey said. “He led not through his words, which were few, but through his actions and how good he was.”

Gary was one of nine men with ties to the USFL enshrined in Canton. He was elected to the NFL’s All-Decade Team of the 1990s (first team) and All-Decade Team of the 1980s (second team).