Over his three decades at Sports Illustrated, Paul Zimmerman wrote countless features, big-game stories and profiles of the figures who intrigued him and shaped football. Though his greatest reputation was as man who understood the intricacies of the game and could convey them to the fan better than anyone else in the business, his colleagues and devoted readers admired him equally, or more so, for his artful longform stories, crafted in an inimicable, cut-to-the-point prose that had a style all its own. These are some of his most memorable SI stories:
• The Long Way Up: Howie Long Departed Boston’s Streets for NFL Stardom (from the July 22, 1985 issue)
• A Rose by Any Other Name: Steeler Linebacker Jack Lambert Is Not Known As a Sweetie, but He Sure Knows the Sweet Smell of Success (from the July 30, 1984 issue)
• The Patience of a Saint: The Coaches and Players Are Forever Changing and New Orleans Keeps Losing, But Quarterback Archie Manning Goes Marching On (from the June 8, 1981 issue)
• Screen Gem: For Offensive Guru Sid Gillman, the Secrets of Football Are in the Highlights (from the September 2, 1991 issue)
• Dr.