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Friends, Colleagues Remember Original Vikings Trainer

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- There was something missing at U.S. Bank Stadium for the Vikings game today. His name -- Fred Zamberletti.

The original trainer died last week at the age of 86. He witnessed the Vikings' first 1,049 games.

Mike Max caught up with some he impacted most.

They gather to say goodbye and to celebrate.

"If you think about his life and his involvement with the Vikings, I think you'd have to say his influence on people, I mean he calmed people, he generated energy in people, he knew how to balance people in the world of football -- not too many people can do that," said Paul Wiggin, Vikings pro personnel.

He was the original Viking, there from the beginning and honored as time moved on because he was a constant and he was a confidant.

"I look back on him now and think of him in terms of being -- since he'd been with the team since the very beginning, all the stories – he was the keeper of the Vikings lore," said Wes Hamilton, former Vikings player.

His training room is where they came to be worked on, to be counseled.

"What separated him from a lot of people -- Fred generally loved everybody," said Tuineau Alipate, former Vikings player.

And it was here you may find Zamby ready for some good-natured competition.

"We also had fun on the side, too, we had to because it's so stressful during the season we had to try to lighten things up," said David Dixon, a former player for the Vikings.

That's what people remember -- a man who cared, a man of many friends.

"He took you under his wing right away, very encouraging," Hamilton said. "When we needed his help to get back on the field, he was there full force."

That's what matters today -- that he mattered to so many.

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