There’s one photograph of Paul Zimmerman, the longtime Sports Illustrated football writer, that seems to encapsulate the man perfectly. Zimmerman is holding a lit cigar in his left hand, plumes of smoke are gathering around his head, and, in this moment, the camera catches him mid-sentence. It’s easy to imagine him sitting at a dinner table, fine wine at hand, engaged in another football debate, lecturing you on the greatness of Marion Motley or Spec Sanders.
Zimmerman worked at Sports Illustrated for nearly 30 years, and during that time he became perhaps the most recognizable football writer of his time.