The Pro Football Writers of America announced its members voted Bill Arnsparger and Romeo Crennel as the 2020 winners of the Paul “Dr. Z” Zimmerman Award. The PFWA annually awards two NFL assistant coaches for lifetime achievement.
Arnsparger, who died in 2015, was the mastermind of Miami’s “No-Name Defense” and “Killer Bs” and helped take three different franchises to the Super Bowl. Houston associate head coach Romeo Crennel, who is in his 38th season as an NFL coach, has coached on five Super Bowl championship teams.
Arnsparger and Crennel are the 15th and 16th recipients of the Dr. Z Award, which was instituted by the PFWA in 2014.
Other 2020 nominees for the Dr. Z Award were longtime Steelers running backs coach Dick Hoak, current Raiders defensive line coach Rod Marinelli, the late defensive line coach Bobb McKittrick, the late defensive coordinator Floyd Peters, the late defensive coordinator Buddy Ryan and current 49ers running backs coach Bobby Turner.