Colorado Sports Hall of Famer and longtime Denver Broncos broadcaster Larry Zimmer died Saturday at the age of 88.
Zimmer had been hospitalized for 10 days at St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood preceding his death, according to a news release from the University of Colorado.
Zimmer’s broadcasting career spanned seven decades. He called Broncos games for 26 years for KOA, first as a color commentator and then as the play-by-play man from 1990 to ’96. He worked 536 Broncos games all told, including four Super Bowls. According to CU, he was involved in broadcasting 50 college football seasons, including 486 CU football games and 525 men’s basketball games.
As news of his death circulated, tributes poured in from across the state.
Current voice of the Broncos, Dave Logan, told The Denver Post on Sunday he may never have applied for the opening at KOA had Zimmer, handling play-by-play at the time, not called and encouraged him to.
It was part of a decades-long relationship between Logan and Zimmer. Logan, like so many Coloradans, grew up listening to Zimmer on the radio. Then he played at CU and got to know Zimmer before eventually working with him on Broncos broadcasts in the 1990s.
“He was just an excellent broadcaster and even a better person,” said Logan, who visited Zimmer last week and added, “he was sharp as a tack right to the end. He had not lost any of his cognitive abilities. We were talking about games that we did back in the early 1990s and his memory was absolutely fantastic. Just a wonderful person and sad that this day finally arrived.”
Zimmer was born on Nov. 13, 1935, in New Orleans. He attended Louisiana State University before transferring to the University of Missouri, graduating and serving two years of active duty in the United States Army.
Zimmer began his work in broadcasting calling high school and Mizzou games before moving to Michigan in the mid-1960s and then eventually to Denver to begin working at KOA in 1971.
From there, he cemented himself as a central part of the state’s sports fabric over decades of work.
“There are so many people, myself included, who grew really familiar with Larry’s voice,” Logan said. “It can jog a memory. It’s like hearing your favorite song. You hear that song and it takes you to a certain moment of your life. Play-by-play voices on radio can have a similar effect on people. I distinctly remember listening to Larry and Bob (Martin) driving home from the AFC Championship game at Mile High when the Broncos beat the Raiders and were going to their first Super Bowl. When I would hear those two, it just brings up just great memories.
“Then having a chance to work with him was just really special to me.”
KOA Broncos sideline reporter Susie Wargin said she’d spent part of Sunday corresponding with several other women in the broadcasting industry and marveling at the impact Zimmer had on their respective careers, whether because he hired them at KOA or simply through his support.
“He just championed women in our industry, especially local women, and it was so cool,” Wargin told The Post. “Here’s this iconic guy that is always super supportive. His wife, Brigitte, would always give her support, too, and say, ‘Susie, you do a great job at this and at this.’ They just couldn’t have been more positive at all times in anything we were trying to do. That’s just so special.
“When he said things to you, it was genuine. If Larry’s saying it, there’s validity to it.”
Zimmer was inducted into the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2010 and the CU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2012, in addition to the Broadcast Professionals of Colorado Hall of Fame in 2009. Zimmer also served on the Broncos’ Ring of Fame committee for more than 30 years.
“A CU institution,” Buffaloes athletic director Rick George said in a statement. “His voice was synonymous with our athletic program and he was most beloved by our coaches, players and fans. Whether it was calling games on KOA or serving as a master of ceremonies for many of our functions, Larry Zimmer was CU.
“He is truly a part of our overall athletic history. We will miss Zimm and our thoughts and prayers are with his family.”
Zimmer is survived by his wife of 51 years, Brigitte, son Lawrence III (Linda), daughter Tracey Robb (J.C.) and granddaughter Shannon Robb.
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