Paul Lionel Zimmerman was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on October 23, 1932. He played football in high school and in college. He received a master's degree in journalism from the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. He started his newspaper career with The Sacramento Bee, and later worked for The New York Journal-American, The New York World-Telegram and Sun, and The New York Post. He wrote for Sports Illustrated magazine for over 30 years before strokes ended his tenure in 2008. He wrote several books including A Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football and Dr. Z: The Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer. He died on November 1, 2018 at the age of 86.
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