Larry Zimmer, longtime radio announcer for the Colorado Buffaloes and Denver Broncos, has died. Zimmer also worked for Denver’s KOA-AM for 33 years from 1971 until 2004, rising to the rank of Sports Director. His six-decade broadcasting career also included covering the Olympics, the College World Series, World Cup ski events, and NCAA basketball for NBC, CBS, and ESPN.
Zimmer, a University of Missouri graduate, began his broadcasting journey with high school sports and as the play-by-play announcer for the Missouri Tigers’ baseball team. He later moved to Michigan in 1966 to cover the Wolverines’ football, basketball, and hockey teams, before joining KOA.
His tenure with the Broncos spanned 26 years, calling more than 500 games – including four Super Bowls. For the University of Colorado, Zimmer covered more than 1,000 sporting events and football games for 42 seasons until 2015.
He called games for Colorado State, the Colorado Caribous in the North American Soccer League, and was a recipient of the Colorado Sportscaster of the Year award and the White Stagg Award for Excellence in Ski Journalism five times each.
Over his career, Zimmer was recognized with the National Football Foundation’s Schenkel Award and was inducted into the Broadcast Professionals of Colorado Hall of Fame, the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame, and the CU Athletics Hall of Fame.
