[2] His grandfather Bill Zimmer coached football at Lockport Township High School for 35 years.
[7] During the 2012 season, linebacker Jovan Belcher fatally shot his girlfriend, then drove to the Chiefs' facility where he committed suicide in front of head coach Romeo Crennel.
The Vikings won the NFC North Division Title in the 2015 season, allowing 18.9 points per game on defense, ranked 5th-best in the NFL.
[11] On January 27, 2020, Zimmer and defensive line coach Andre Patterson were named co-defensive coordinators for the 2020 season.
Mendota Heights police responded to a welfare check request at his home at 1:13 pm CDT, and found Zimmer dead inside.
[13] On December 16, 2022, The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office announced that Zimmer's cause of death was complications of chronic ethanol use disorder.