Adam Zimmer obituary: 'He wanted to follow in his father's footsteps'
The obituary for former Minnesota Vikings assistant coach Adam Zimmer says he was a kind, "sports obsessed" man who "put others ahead of himself."
Zimmer, 38, was found dead at his home in Mendota Heights on Monday, Oct. 31. He was found by police who were called to conduct a welfare check, with the tragic discovery made around 1:13 p.m.. His cause of death has not been revealed.
Zimmer joined the Vikings coaching staff after his father, Mike Zimmer, was named head coach in 2014. They coached together in Minnesota until the Vikings replaced the coaching staff following the 2021 season.
"By the age of 10, Zimmer knew that he wanted to follow in his father's and grandfather's footsteps and become a football coach," the obituary reads, noting that Mike Zimmer was coaching with the Dallas Cowboys when Adam was a child.
The obituary is posted online by Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Zimmer's hometown of Colleyville, Texas. It says the Zimmer family "poured its heart and soul into the Vikings" while making an "immeasurable" impact on the community.
It also cites hard times in Adam's life, including the death of his mother when she was 50 years old, and the Jovan Belcher murder-suicide on Dec. 1, 2012. Belcher murdered his girlfriend and then drove to the Kansas Chiefs training facility and fatally shot himself in the parking lot.
Zimmer was the assistant linebackers coach with the Chiefs from 2010 to 2012.
Adam coached Vikings linebackers from 2014 to 2019 before being named co-defensive coordinator in 2020. He was reportedly working remotely as an offensive analyst for the Cincinnati Bengals this season. The Bengals played on Monday night, just hours after Zimmer was found dead.
Instead of flowers, the family is requesting donations to ex-Vikings and current Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr's "Raise the Barr" foundation.
Related: Adam Zimmer was found dead in his Twin Cities home
