Bill Zimmer (1962)

Bill Zimmer was an exceptional four-sport athlete at Poland High School, excelling in basketball, track & field, football, and cross country.

In basketball, he was a three-year starter, a two-time All-Tri-County selection, and earned Honorable Mention All-Ohio honors. He finished his high school career as Poland’s fourth all-time leading scorer and received a basketball scholarship to Duke University. His scoring totals included 93 points as a freshman, 286 as a sophomore, 327 as a junior, and 339 as a senior. During his senior season, he helped lead Poland to the Tri-County League Championship.

In track & field, Zimmer was a three-year letter winner who set school records in the long jump and high jump. He qualified for the state meet in the high jump, long jump, and low hurdles, and was named the Most Valuable Performer at the County Meet as a senior.

On the football field, he was a two-year letterman who set school records for points and touchdowns in a season. He earned Second Team All-Tri-County honors as a junior, First Team All-Tri-County and All-Northeast Ohio honors as a senior, and finished as Poland’s second all-time leading scorer. During his two varsity seasons, he helped lead the Bulldogs to a 17–0–1 record and two Tri-County League Championships. He also set school records for interception returns for touchdowns in both a single game (2) and a season (3).

Zimmer also competed in cross country, earning a varsity letter as a sophomore, completing an outstanding four-sport athletic career at Poland High School.