Zeman Called the Shots for the Soul Patrol
Bob Zeman was an outstanding defensive back in the early days of the American Football League.
Zeman coached the famed Raiders defensive backfield known as “The Soul Patrol,” and was linebacker coach in the Broncos’ highly regarded “Orange Crush,” defense during his 23-year coaching career in the NFL.
The Chargers selected the 6-1, 200-pound Zeman with the first pick of the second round in the 1960 AFL Draft out of Wisconsin, where he was a two-way starter for the sixth-ranked Badgers, scoring three touchdowns as a senior when they went 7-2-1 but lost to Washington, 44-8, in the Rose Bowl.
Zeman signed with the Chargers despite also being drafted by the Cleveland Browns of the National Football League, after being a co-captain for the Badgers and an All-Big 10 Conference selection as a senior.
In his first four seasons in the AFL, two with the Chargers and two with the Broncos, Zee made 17 interceptions, including eight in 1961 and six in 1962, returning one 55 yards for a touchdown. He was selected to the All-AFL team in 1962.
Zeman was part of a 1961 Chargers defense known as the “Seven Pirates,” who set an NFL record with 49 interceptions.
However, sustained a knee injury hampered Zeman in the last two years of his career and retired after 1966 and went into coaching at Wisconsin, before coming to the Raiders as defensive backfield coach in 1971.
During his seasons in Oakland, the Raiders compiled a record of 74-20-4, played in five American Football Conference Championships games, and trounced the Minnesota Vikings, 32-14, in Super Bowl XI.
That was when Zeman coached “The Soul Patrol,” which consisted of Hall of Famer Willie Brown and Skip Thomas as a cornerback, and safeties George Atkinson and Jack Tatum, who according to many would know should be enshrined in the HOF in Canton, Ohio.
“They remain the greatest defensive backfield of all-time and Zeman coached them,” JimJax Media claimed. “In the most physical era, The Soul Patrol was like a pack of wolves ready to take down any sized prey. They remain the greatest defensive backfield of all time.”
Said Raiders legendary play-by-play man Bill King of the Soul-Patrol: “The Raiders had three safeties on the field when Dr. Death (Thomas) was playing cornerback,”
Zeman also coached the linebackers for Denver’s “Orange Crush” defense from 1978-82, was defensive coordinator for the Buffalo Bills in 1983, and returned to the Raiders as defensive coordinator and called defensive signals in 1983-84.
“Bob is an excellent coach and he did a good job for us,” Coach Tom Flores said before Zeman moved on to finish his career as linebackers coach for the San Francisco 49ers from 1989-93 under Coach Mike Holmgren, including when the Niners routed the Broncos, 55-10, in Super Bowl XXIV.
Zeman’s teams had a record of 215-96-4 during his 21 NFL seasons.
When Zeman passed away on May 3, 2019, at the age of 82, all of his former teams mourned, including the Silver and Black
“We lost a great one in Bob,” said Hall of Fame wide receiver Cliff Branch, who died suddenly exactly three months later on Aug. 3, 2019. “He was one of the great coaches I’ve ever met. We met when I was a rookie in 1972 and we spoke at least once a month for over 20 years. Bob was loved. He was a part of the Raider family. That was important to Al Davis, that you are ‘Once a Raider, Always a Raider,’ and Bob was a part of that.
"He coached probably the best secondary in Raiders history with Willie Brown, George Atkinson, Jack Tatum and Alonzo Thomas, ‘The Soul Patrol.’ He would listen to those guys and get them in line when he had to. He had a very close relationship with them. He was just a super coach and a super guy.”
Branch and Zeman’s Soul Patrol had many a great battle in practice.
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