assistant at Johns Hopkins. Zimmerman was the United States men's national lacrosse team's assistant coach for the 1986 World Lacrosse Championship. UMBC Zimmerman spent three years at Loyola as an assistant for the Greyhounds under Dave Cottle, before he was hired as head coach by the University of Maryland, Baltimore County (UMBC). The Retrievers continued to struggle early in Zimmerman's tenure, and during his first three seasons compiled a 14–25 mark. After a 3–9 campaign in 1996, UMBC became the most improved team in the nation with a 9–3 record for the 1997 season. In 1998, the Retrievers delivered a major upset by beating, 12–8, then first-ranked Maryland, the eventual national championship runners-up. The victory helped UMBC secure its first ever berth in the NCAA tournament. In 1999, the Retrievers again made an appearance in the tournament. Zimmerman coached the South squad in the 2002 North-South Senior All-Star Game. In 2005, UMBC posted a 5–1 conference mark to achieve the America East regular season conference championship. The following year, the Retrievers defeated Binghamton and Albany in the America East tournament for the conference championship, and Zimmerman made his tenth appearance as a head coach in the NCAA tournament. He was named the 2006 America East Coach of the Year. In 2007, UMBC again advanced past Binghamton before falling to Albany in the America East championship game, and secured another berth in the NCAA tournament. There, they upset seventh-seeded Maryland in the first round for the school's first appearance in the NCAA quarterfinals. In 2008, UMBC again faced Albany in the America East championship game. Halfway through the second period, the Retrievers trailed 11–2, but rallied to edge their opponents, 14–13. Zimmerman was named the 2008 America East Coach of the Year. In June, he was considered the frontrunner to replace John Haus who had been fired as North Carolina's head coach, but Zimmerman removed his name from consideration. He said, "The people at UMBC have been good to me, and this is my home ... these are my kids and I recruited them. I just didn't think this was the right time to move." In 2009, UMBC captured its fifth consecutive outright or shared America East regular season title. In the conference semifinals, the Retrievers edged Binghamton, 9–8. In the final, however, UMBC jumped out to an early lead over Albany and never relinquished it, and won, 15–7. Zimmerman was