Saturday marks a bittersweet day for North Bay soccer: more than 500 people are expected to gather at Sonoma State University in Rohnert Park to celebrate the life of Marcus Ziemer, the beloved coach who built SSU’s men’s soccer program into a national championship dynasty over 35 years — then watched it disappear before his sudden death in March.
Key Takeaways
- The celebration of life begins at 3 p.m. Saturday at the old gymnasium on the SSU campus, beside the Seawolves’ former soccer field in Rohnert Park.
- Ziemer, 63, died March 17, 2026, after sustaining a traumatic brain injury in an electric scooter crash following a soccer match in Dortmund, Germany.
- He coached SSU men’s soccer for 35 years, compiling a 360-200-70 record, winning eight CCAA conference titles, and leading the Seawolves to the 2002 NCAA Division II national championship.
- Sonoma State eliminated its entire athletics department in 2025 due to budget pressures, ending the program he had built over a lifetime.
- A community GoFundMe raised approximately $55,000 for the Ziemer family.
A Career Built on the North Bay
Marcus Ziemer arrived at Sonoma State in the late 1980s and never left. Over the next three and a half decades, he turned the Seawolves men’s soccer program into one of the most decorated in NCAA Division II. According to the Press Democrat, his career record stood at 360-200-70, with eight CCAA conference championships, nine NCAA Tournament appearances, and six CCAA Coach of the Year awards. The pinnacle came in 2002 when SSU claimed the Division II national championship with a 4-3 win over Southern New Hampshire, earning Ziemer the National Coach of the Year honor. The team had also reached the national title game in 1991.
Soccer was the family business. His father, Herbert Ziemer, founded the Sebastopol Youth Soccer League in 1975. Marcus — the eldest of four brothers — coached all three of his siblings at SSU, and together they ran Ziemer Brothers Soccer Camps for more than 20 years, shaping generations of youth players throughout Northern California and beyond. His wife, Trish Gretton Ziemer, was herself a member of the 1991 Sonoma State women’s national championship team. The athletic legacy extended to the next generation: daughter Tera won the 2022 Division II national title with Western Washington and was named United Soccer Coaches National Player of the Year, while daughter Taylor played at Virginia and Texas A&M before competing professionally in Iceland, the Netherlands, and Germany’s Frauen-Bundesliga.
An Empty Field, a Heavy Loss
The loss of Ziemer carries particular weight given what happened to his program just before he died. Sonoma State eliminated its entire athletics department in 2025 amid severe budget pressures — a painful decision that resonated across the county, echoing the budget anxieties straining other Sonoma County institutions. Saturday’s celebration will be held in the old gymnasium beside the very field where Ziemer’s teams played for decades — a field that no longer hosts a team.
Ziemer died March 17, 2026, at a hospital in Dortmund, Germany. On March 14, he had attended a Borussia Dortmund soccer match — a fitting final trip for a lifelong student of the game — when he was critically injured in an electric scooter crash and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He was removed from life support the following evening, Pacific time.
Community Remembers a Life Fully Lived
Tributes poured in from across the North Bay after his death. “He poured his heart and soul into life,” coach Josh Sterling told the Press Democrat. Former SSU Athletics Director Nicole Annaloro recalled that “his players were his priority” and that she was struck by how “passionate he was as a coach.” San Francisco Elite Academy executive director Joe Dugan described his influence on Northern California youth players as “tremendous.” College of Marin women’s coach Emiria Salzmann wrote: “His zest for life was his most impactful quality. I always marveled at his energy, enthusiasm, humor, curiosity, independence, passion.” The Sonoma State Alumni Association called him “a beloved coach, mentor, and member of the Sonoma State family.”
A GoFundMe for funeral and family costs raised approximately $55,000 from supporters across the region. Paid parking is available on the SSU campus for Saturday’s event, which is expected to draw current and former players, families, and North Bay community members who knew Ziemer through coaching, camps, or the broader soccer world he helped build.
Frequently Asked Questions
When and where is the celebration of life for Marcus Ziemer?
The celebration of life is Saturday, April 18, 2026, at 3 p.m. at the old gymnasium on the Sonoma State University campus in Rohnert Park, next to the Seawolves’ former soccer field. Paid parking is available on campus for attendees.
How did Marcus Ziemer die?
Ziemer, 63, died March 17, 2026, at a hospital in Dortmund, Germany. He sustained a traumatic brain injury on March 14 when he crashed while riding an electric scooter after attending a Borussia Dortmund soccer match. Doctors removed him from life support the following day, according to the Press Democrat.
What happened to the SSU soccer program Ziemer built?
Sonoma State University eliminated its entire athletics department in 2025 due to mounting budget pressures, ending the men’s soccer program that Ziemer had built over 35 years. He had already coached his final season when he died in March 2026, meaning his program outlasted him by only months.
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