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Jim
Zorn (Wire Image) |
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Just two weeks ago, Jim Zorn, a member of the
1971-72 Cerritos College football teams, was named the
offensive coordinator for the Washington Redskins after
spending the last seven years as the quarterbacks coach
for the Seattle Seahawks, But, on Saturday, Zorn was
quickly promoted to the head coaching position, taking
over for Joe Gibbs, a member of the 1959-60 Falcon
football teams. This will be the first head coaching
assignment for Zorn, who signed a five-year deal.
According to the Redskins website,
"I've always dreamed of being
a head coach with a franchise rich in tradition like the
Redskins," Zorn said. "As a player who had to fight
Redskins teams at RFK as well as at our home field, I
know about the history of this franchise as well as the
passion of its fans. I won't let you down. I know about
the history and great fans of the Redskins. I played
against the Redskins. I played against our two newest
Hall of Famers, Art Monk and Darrell Green. Like all
Redskins fans, I am a long-time admirer of Joe Gibbs.”
When his two years with the Falcons were complete,
Zorn transferred to
Cal Poly Pomona and was eventually signed by the
Seahawks and began in Seattle’s inaugural 1976 season,
starting all 14 games at quarterback. He went on to play
nine seasons for the Seahawks before finishing with the
team in 1984. After departing Seattle, he finished his
playing career with the Green Bay Packers (1985), the
Canadian Football League’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1986)
and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1987). Zorn is one of only
eight players inducted to the Seahawks’ Ring of Honor.
He was named NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year (1976)
and ranks second in the Seahawks’ record book behind
Dave Krieg in yards (20,122), completions (1,593),
attempts (2,992) and touchdowns (107). His three
consecutive 3,000-yard seasons were tops in team
history, since broken by Matt Hasselbeck in 2005, and he
was the first Seattle quarterback to record back-to-back
300-plus yard games – a feat he accomplished twice.
Zorn joined the
Seahawks as quarterbacks coach after serving in the same
capacity with the Detroit Lions (1998-00), while he
broke into the league as an offensive assistant for the
Seahawks in 1997. Zorn spent eight seasons in the
collegiate ranks before his pro debut. He spent two
seasons (1995-96) as quarterbacks coach at the
University of Minnesota after coordinating Utah State’s
offense from 1992-94. His first collegiate coaching job
was as an offensive assistant/quarterbacks coach at
Boise State from 1989-91.
While with Cerritos, he was a third string
quarterback in his freshman year and was the back-up his
sophomore season. Although he didn’t get on the field
very often, he still parlayed his strong arm and
accuracy into a collegiate and professional career.
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