Dr. Z ─ The Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer

During his nearly 50 years of sportswriting, including 28 at Sports Illustrated, readers of Dr. Z came to expect a certain alchemical, trademark blend: words which were caustic and wry, at times self-deprecating or even puzzling, but always devilishly smart with arresting honesty. A complex package, that's the Doctor. The one-time sparring partner of Ernest Hemingway, Paul Zimmerman is one of the modern era's groundbreaking football minds, a man who methodically charted every play while generating copious notes, a human precursor to the data analytics websites of today. In 2008, Zimmerman had nearly completed work on his personal memoirs when a series of strokes left him largely unable to speak, read, or write. Compiled and edited by longtime SI colleague Peter King, these are the stories he still wants to see told. Dr. Z’s memoir is a rich package of personalities, stories never shared about such characters as Vince Lombardi, Walter Payton, Lawrence Taylor, and Johnny Unitas. Even Joe Namath, with whom Zimmerman had a legendary and well-documented 23-year feud, saw fit to eventually unburden himself to the remarkable scribe. Also included are Zimmerman's encounters with luminaries and larger-than-life figures outside of sports, notably Donald Trump, Rupert Murdoch, and Hunter S. Thompson. But not to be missed are Zimmerman's quieter observations on his own life and writing, witticisms and anecdotes which sway between the poignant and hilarious. No matter the topic, Dr. Z: the Lost Memoirs of an Irreverent Football Writer proves essential, compelling reading for sports fans old and new.

Peter King is a senior writer at Sports Illustrated and the author of the popular football column "Monday Morning Quarterback". He has appeared on television as part of Football Night in America broadcasts on NBC and Monday Night Football broadcasts on ABC. Before joining Sports Illustrated in 1989, the Ohio University graduate was an award-winning writer for Newsday and the Cincinnati Enquirer. He lives with his wife, Ann, near New York City. Paul Zimmerman, known to generations of readers as "Dr. Z", was a sports writer for five decades, including nearly 30 years at Sports Illustrated, before being stricken by a series of strokes in 2008. Writing about the NFL for Sports Illustrated both in print and later online, Dr. Z was a pioneer in football analysis decades before advanced analytics entered the mainstream. Zimmerman was a sports writer at the New York Post before joining SI and covered three Olympic games in addition to the NFL. His 1970 book The Thinking Man's Guide to Pro Football (revised in 1984) is regarded as an essential read for serious football fans.