Photo by: CUBuffs.com
Colorado Radio Icon Larry Zimmer Passes Away
January 21, 2024 | General, Alumni C Club
The Longtime Voice of the Buffaloes was 88
LAKEWOOD — Larry Zimmer, known as the "Voice of the Buffaloes" for 42 seasons with the University of Colorado football and basketball programs, passed away peacefully here early Saturday evening. Surrounded by his family, he was 88.
Zimmer had been hospitalized for the last 10 days at St. Anthony's in Lakewood, where before he passed he had several visitors from close friends, from his former radio station (KOA), the University of Colorado and the Denver Broncos, including many former players. He also received numerous phone calls and text messages from the same shared through his wife, Brigitte.
CU held a moment of silence prior to the start of Sunday afternoon's women's basketball game between the Buffaloes and Southern California.
When all was said and done, he was involved in either play-by-play or commentary duties for 50 college football seasons, 42 for CU, and 26 seasons with the Denver Broncos among his many other assignments throughout a seven-decade broadcasting career dating back to his college days at the University of Missouri.
At CU alone, he was behind the microphone for 486 football games (22 bowls), along with 525 men's basketball contests for 1,011 overall. He started out as an analyst on Bronco games in 1971 and took over the play-by-play duties for Super Bowl XXIV in 1990 through the '96 season, working a total of 536 preseason (122), regular season (394) and postseason (20) games combined, including four Super Bowls.
When including the football games he called for the University of Michigan (51) and Colorado State University (34), it raised his overall total to 571. That adds to 1,107 games between the college and professional ranks.
CU athletic director Rick George has called Zimmer, "A CU institution. 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 Zim and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
The Denver Broncos issued the following statement:
"The Broncos are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary radio broadcaster and longtime Ring of Fame committee member Larry Zimmer. During his 52-year association with the Broncos, Larry called some of the franchise's most iconic moments and helped honor some of our greatest legends. Our thoughts go out to Larry's wife, Brigitte, and his entire family."
"Larry was the voice of the Buffaloes when I was in high school," said Dave Logan, who prepped at Wheat Ridge before playing for CU. "He broadcast every game of my career and then to have a chance to work with him starting in 1990 doing Bronco games was really a blessing for me. He was a great partner, a great broadcaster and great person."
"What I remember most about Zim was that he was always a gentleman," said Alfred Williams, who starred at CU from 1987-90 and signed with the Broncos as a free agent in Zimmer's final season calling Denver's games. "He was always kind and willing to be complimentary even though when it could be painful to be, especially if the Buffs or Broncos were having tough times.
"He and Brigitte were a big part of my life," Williams added. "They were a consistent support system for me and a host of other student-athletes at CU. And another thing I'll always remember about Larry was the uniqueness of his voice and tone. There was only one guy in the country who sounded like him and when you heard him, you knew it was a CU or Bronco game. This is a huge loss for the CU and Bronco families."
Larry wasn't often able to speak consistently during his final days, so many would text messages of support to Brigitte. One of the most heart-warming texts came from former CU head coach Dan Hawkins and his wife, Misti.
"You both created quite a legacy and left a tremendous mark on many, many people," it read. "We should all hope to positively affect as many lives as you have."
Zimmer got his start broadcasting high school football and basketball games in Columbia, Mo., and Lawton, Okla. (1957-58, 1960-66) while also serving as the play-by-play announcer for the Missouri Tigers baseball team. In the summer of 1966, he relocated to Michigan and began broadcasting for the Wolverine football, basketball and hockey teams on WAAM-Radio in Ann Arbor.
In 1971, he was hired by KOA sports director Bob Martin, when the Denver station both broadcast on radio (850 am) and television (Ch. 4). He was hired to do the play-by-play for CU football and the color commentary for the Denver Broncos. He would spend the next 19 seasons doing the analysis for Bronco games, and then took over for the next seven as play-by-play man following Martin's death. He also spent time as the voice of the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association and the Colorado Caribous of the North American Soccer League.
One of the major highlights of his broadcasting career took place in 1980, as Zimmer joined the CBS crew that broadcast the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Although he was not in the booth, Zimmer attended the USA-Soviet Union hockey game that would come to be known as the "Miracle on Ice," where he did phone live reports back to Denver. In 1998, he was honored for being the only broadcaster in the country to broadcast the same professional team and the same college team for 25 years on the same radio station.
But he became best known as the "Voice of the Buffaloes," calling every game between 1971 and 1981. In 1982, CU strayed away from KOA and signed a three-year deal with a different network, but the Buffs returned to KOA in 1985 and Zimmer was back "home" after spending three years handling the play-by-play chores for Colorado State. After retiring as KOA's sports director in 2004, he shifted into the analyst role on football broadcasts with Mark Johnson assuming the play-by-play duties for both football and basketball.
"When I came on board as the play-by-play announcer for the Buffaloes in 2004, the transition was seamless because of the professionalism, kindness and graciousness of Larry Zimmer," Johnson said. "His endorsement and acceptance of welcoming me into the booth was a signal to Buff Nation that this "new kid" should be given a chance by the fans. For 12 years, Zim was my mentor and partner calling CU football. He showed me the ropes and filled in the gaps in my knowledge of what it meant to be a Buff.
"In the ensuing eight seasons following Larry's retirement, he became my greatest cheerleader," Johnson added. "Frequently, I'd receive a heartwarming text from Zim saying simply, 'Great broadcast on Saturday! You and Gary (Barnett) did a nice job capturing the game for all of us listeners!'"
Zimmer had a health setback midway during the 2014 season which forced him to miss the rest of that year; after being hospitalized for nearly five months, he made a full recovery and was able to return for his 42nd and final season calling CU games in 2015.
His last home game at CU's Folsom Field coincided with his 80th birthday. A Friday night affair against Southern California, he was honored in a special pregame ceremony on the field with CU President Bruce Benson, Chancellor Phil DiStefano, athletic director Rick George and his wife Brigitte. CU officials arranged for a special surprise, with former players from each decade he called games also participating in the festivities:
1970's: Larry Brunson & Jon Keyworth
1980's: Jeff Campbell & Eric McCarty
1990's: Darian Hagan & Matt Russell
2000's: Jordan Dizon & Tyler Polumbus
2010's: Daniel Munyer, Doug Rippy & Chidera Uzo-Diribe
Jock Bartley, the co-founder of Firefall, a popular Colorado-based band with several top 40 hits in the 1970s, led the stadium in singing happy birthday to him, with almost 40,000 in attendance joining in. Larry said afterward, "It was just great. It was a special, wonderful tribute. It meant a great deal."
Zimmer had many signature calls covering the Buffaloes through the years, but many believe his best was when Rashaan Salaam ran 67 yards for a touchdown to go over 2,000 yards for the 1994 season, when he won CU's only Heisman Trophy. See/listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raubEUsVFNo.
In 2009, he was the recipient of the 14th annual prestigious Chris Schenkel Award, named in honor the long-time play-by-play man for ABC Sports; it recognizes a sports broadcaster who enjoyed a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football at a single institution. To date, only 28 announcers have been presented with the award.
At the time, Zimmer said of the Schenkel Award, "It is certainly the highlight of my career because it recognizes two of the things that I love the most, and that's broadcasting college football and my association with the University of Colorado through the years and all the people I've met."
He had an impressive list of honors over the course of his career. In 1992, he was awarded the Honorary C" for his contribution to Colorado Athletics, and in 2005, he was the recipient of the Forever Buff Award from the Alumni C Club. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall of Fame in 2009, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also a five-time winner of both the White Stagg Award for Excellence in Ski Journalism and the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year Award; he was the Colorado Broadcaster of the Year in 1996.
Zimmer did a lot more than just cover the Buffaloes and Broncos. During six decades of professional broadcasting, either on radio or television (or both), Zimmer covered Olympic competitions, NFL Europe, the College World Series in Omaha, regional and NCAA basketball for NBC, CBS and ESPN and World Cup Ski events. He also anchored radio coverage of the 1989 World Ski Championships in Vail and syndicated television coverage of the 1990 World Disabled Championships at Winter Park.
Born Nov. 13, 1935 in New Orleans, La., Zimmer attended Louisiana State University before transferring to the University of Missouri, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1957. He then served two years on active duty in the United States Army, earning the rank of 1st Lieutenant and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Larry enjoyed skiing, traveling (particularly Europe and Japan), reading and all music, but his special love was for classical music. He also served on the board of Opera Colorado since its inception in 1980.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Brigitte Bastian; son Lawrence III (Linda); daughter Tracey Robb (J.C.); and a granddaughter, Shannon Robb.
Services are pending; he will receive a military funeral at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver. In lieu of flowers, those interested can donate to "Opera Colorado" (www.operacolorado.org/support/individual-giving/) or the "Larry & Brigitte Zimmer Sports Announcing Endowed Scholarship" at the University of Colorado, where as an adjunct professor, Zimmer taught a broadcasting class for 11 years (https://giving.cu.edu/fund/write-fund).
Zimmer had been hospitalized for the last 10 days at St. Anthony's in Lakewood, where before he passed he had several visitors from close friends, from his former radio station (KOA), the University of Colorado and the Denver Broncos, including many former players. He also received numerous phone calls and text messages from the same shared through his wife, Brigitte.
CU held a moment of silence prior to the start of Sunday afternoon's women's basketball game between the Buffaloes and Southern California.
When all was said and done, he was involved in either play-by-play or commentary duties for 50 college football seasons, 42 for CU, and 26 seasons with the Denver Broncos among his many other assignments throughout a seven-decade broadcasting career dating back to his college days at the University of Missouri.
At CU alone, he was behind the microphone for 486 football games (22 bowls), along with 525 men's basketball contests for 1,011 overall. He started out as an analyst on Bronco games in 1971 and took over the play-by-play duties for Super Bowl XXIV in 1990 through the '96 season, working a total of 536 preseason (122), regular season (394) and postseason (20) games combined, including four Super Bowls.
When including the football games he called for the University of Michigan (51) and Colorado State University (34), it raised his overall total to 571. That adds to 1,107 games between the college and professional ranks.
CU athletic director Rick George has called Zimmer, "A CU institution. 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 Zim and our thoughts and prayers are with his family."
The Denver Broncos issued the following statement:
"The Broncos are deeply saddened by the passing of legendary radio broadcaster and longtime Ring of Fame committee member Larry Zimmer. During his 52-year association with the Broncos, Larry called some of the franchise's most iconic moments and helped honor some of our greatest legends. Our thoughts go out to Larry's wife, Brigitte, and his entire family."
"Larry was the voice of the Buffaloes when I was in high school," said Dave Logan, who prepped at Wheat Ridge before playing for CU. "He broadcast every game of my career and then to have a chance to work with him starting in 1990 doing Bronco games was really a blessing for me. He was a great partner, a great broadcaster and great person."
"What I remember most about Zim was that he was always a gentleman," said Alfred Williams, who starred at CU from 1987-90 and signed with the Broncos as a free agent in Zimmer's final season calling Denver's games. "He was always kind and willing to be complimentary even though when it could be painful to be, especially if the Buffs or Broncos were having tough times.
"He and Brigitte were a big part of my life," Williams added. "They were a consistent support system for me and a host of other student-athletes at CU. And another thing I'll always remember about Larry was the uniqueness of his voice and tone. There was only one guy in the country who sounded like him and when you heard him, you knew it was a CU or Bronco game. This is a huge loss for the CU and Bronco families."
Larry wasn't often able to speak consistently during his final days, so many would text messages of support to Brigitte. One of the most heart-warming texts came from former CU head coach Dan Hawkins and his wife, Misti.
"You both created quite a legacy and left a tremendous mark on many, many people," it read. "We should all hope to positively affect as many lives as you have."
Zimmer got his start broadcasting high school football and basketball games in Columbia, Mo., and Lawton, Okla. (1957-58, 1960-66) while also serving as the play-by-play announcer for the Missouri Tigers baseball team. In the summer of 1966, he relocated to Michigan and began broadcasting for the Wolverine football, basketball and hockey teams on WAAM-Radio in Ann Arbor.
In 1971, he was hired by KOA sports director Bob Martin, when the Denver station both broadcast on radio (850 am) and television (Ch. 4). He was hired to do the play-by-play for CU football and the color commentary for the Denver Broncos. He would spend the next 19 seasons doing the analysis for Bronco games, and then took over for the next seven as play-by-play man following Martin's death. He also spent time as the voice of the Denver Rockets of the American Basketball Association and the Colorado Caribous of the North American Soccer League.
One of the major highlights of his broadcasting career took place in 1980, as Zimmer joined the CBS crew that broadcast the 1980 Olympic Games in Lake Placid. Although he was not in the booth, Zimmer attended the USA-Soviet Union hockey game that would come to be known as the "Miracle on Ice," where he did phone live reports back to Denver. In 1998, he was honored for being the only broadcaster in the country to broadcast the same professional team and the same college team for 25 years on the same radio station.
But he became best known as the "Voice of the Buffaloes," calling every game between 1971 and 1981. In 1982, CU strayed away from KOA and signed a three-year deal with a different network, but the Buffs returned to KOA in 1985 and Zimmer was back "home" after spending three years handling the play-by-play chores for Colorado State. After retiring as KOA's sports director in 2004, he shifted into the analyst role on football broadcasts with Mark Johnson assuming the play-by-play duties for both football and basketball.
"When I came on board as the play-by-play announcer for the Buffaloes in 2004, the transition was seamless because of the professionalism, kindness and graciousness of Larry Zimmer," Johnson said. "His endorsement and acceptance of welcoming me into the booth was a signal to Buff Nation that this "new kid" should be given a chance by the fans. For 12 years, Zim was my mentor and partner calling CU football. He showed me the ropes and filled in the gaps in my knowledge of what it meant to be a Buff.
"In the ensuing eight seasons following Larry's retirement, he became my greatest cheerleader," Johnson added. "Frequently, I'd receive a heartwarming text from Zim saying simply, 'Great broadcast on Saturday! You and Gary (Barnett) did a nice job capturing the game for all of us listeners!'"
Zimmer had a health setback midway during the 2014 season which forced him to miss the rest of that year; after being hospitalized for nearly five months, he made a full recovery and was able to return for his 42nd and final season calling CU games in 2015.
His last home game at CU's Folsom Field coincided with his 80th birthday. A Friday night affair against Southern California, he was honored in a special pregame ceremony on the field with CU President Bruce Benson, Chancellor Phil DiStefano, athletic director Rick George and his wife Brigitte. CU officials arranged for a special surprise, with former players from each decade he called games also participating in the festivities:
1970's: Larry Brunson & Jon Keyworth
1980's: Jeff Campbell & Eric McCarty
1990's: Darian Hagan & Matt Russell
2000's: Jordan Dizon & Tyler Polumbus
2010's: Daniel Munyer, Doug Rippy & Chidera Uzo-Diribe
Jock Bartley, the co-founder of Firefall, a popular Colorado-based band with several top 40 hits in the 1970s, led the stadium in singing happy birthday to him, with almost 40,000 in attendance joining in. Larry said afterward, "It was just great. It was a special, wonderful tribute. It meant a great deal."
Zimmer had many signature calls covering the Buffaloes through the years, but many believe his best was when Rashaan Salaam ran 67 yards for a touchdown to go over 2,000 yards for the 1994 season, when he won CU's only Heisman Trophy. See/listen to it here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=raubEUsVFNo.
In 2009, he was the recipient of the 14th annual prestigious Chris Schenkel Award, named in honor the long-time play-by-play man for ABC Sports; it recognizes a sports broadcaster who enjoyed a long and distinguished career broadcasting college football at a single institution. To date, only 28 announcers have been presented with the award.
At the time, Zimmer said of the Schenkel Award, "It is certainly the highlight of my career because it recognizes two of the things that I love the most, and that's broadcasting college football and my association with the University of Colorado through the years and all the people I've met."
He had an impressive list of honors over the course of his career. In 1992, he was awarded the Honorary C" for his contribution to Colorado Athletics, and in 2005, he was the recipient of the Forever Buff Award from the Alumni C Club. He was inducted into the Broadcast Pioneers of Colorado Hall of Fame in 2009, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame in 2010, the CU Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 and the Colorado Snowsports Museum Hall of Fame in 2013. He was also a five-time winner of both the White Stagg Award for Excellence in Ski Journalism and the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year Award; he was the Colorado Broadcaster of the Year in 1996.
Zimmer did a lot more than just cover the Buffaloes and Broncos. During six decades of professional broadcasting, either on radio or television (or both), Zimmer covered Olympic competitions, NFL Europe, the College World Series in Omaha, regional and NCAA basketball for NBC, CBS and ESPN and World Cup Ski events. He also anchored radio coverage of the 1989 World Ski Championships in Vail and syndicated television coverage of the 1990 World Disabled Championships at Winter Park.
Born Nov. 13, 1935 in New Orleans, La., Zimmer attended Louisiana State University before transferring to the University of Missouri, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree in journalism in 1957. He then served two years on active duty in the United States Army, earning the rank of 1st Lieutenant and was awarded the Army Commendation Medal. Larry enjoyed skiing, traveling (particularly Europe and Japan), reading and all music, but his special love was for classical music. He also served on the board of Opera Colorado since its inception in 1980.
He is survived by his wife of 51 years, the former Brigitte Bastian; son Lawrence III (Linda); daughter Tracey Robb (J.C.); and a granddaughter, Shannon Robb.
Services are pending; he will receive a military funeral at Fort Logan Cemetery in Denver. In lieu of flowers, those interested can donate to "Opera Colorado" (www.operacolorado.org/support/individual-giving/) or the "Larry & Brigitte Zimmer Sports Announcing Endowed Scholarship" at the University of Colorado, where as an adjunct professor, Zimmer taught a broadcasting class for 11 years (https://giving.cu.edu/fund/write-fund).
LARRY ZIMMER BY THE NUMBERS
During his time as the Voice of the Buffaloes, here's what his tenure endured when he was a constant at Colorado:
66 CU starting running backs
51 CU Board of Regents members
46 Super Bowls (8 with the Broncos)
40 CU starting quarterbacks
22 Colorado bowl games
17 Denver Rocket/Nugget Head Coaches
11 CU Presidents
11 Denver Bronco Coaches
10 CU trainers
9 CU Head Football Coaches
8 CU Head Basketball Coaches
8 U.S. Presidents
7 Color Commentator partners
7 Colorado Governors
6 Colorado Avalanche Coaches
6 Denver Mayors
5 CU Athletic Directors (all but one of them)
5 Ralphies
5 Sports Information Directors
2 Arena Football League Franchises
2 NHL Hockey Franchises
2 Different Pro Basketball Leagues (ABA, NBA)
..... The first 42 seasons of CU's women's basketball history (7 coaches)
486 CU football games (337 play-by-play)
525 CU men's basketball games
1011 Total CU sporting events
51 CU Board of Regents members
46 Super Bowls (8 with the Broncos)
40 CU starting quarterbacks
22 Colorado bowl games
17 Denver Rocket/Nugget Head Coaches
11 CU Presidents
11 Denver Bronco Coaches
10 CU trainers
9 CU Head Football Coaches
8 CU Head Basketball Coaches
8 U.S. Presidents
7 Color Commentator partners
7 Colorado Governors
6 Colorado Avalanche Coaches
6 Denver Mayors
5 CU Athletic Directors (all but one of them)
5 Ralphies
5 Sports Information Directors
2 Arena Football League Franchises
2 NHL Hockey Franchises
2 Different Pro Basketball Leagues (ABA, NBA)
..... The first 42 seasons of CU's women's basketball history (7 coaches)
486 CU football games (337 play-by-play)
525 CU men's basketball games
1011 Total CU sporting events
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