Longtime Sonoma State Soccer Coach Marcus Ziemer, Eldest Of Bay Area Brothers Coaching Dynasty, Dies In Germany

CBS Bay Area

March 18, 2026

Marcus Ziemer, the eldest brother of a Bay Area soccer coaching dynasty and longtime head coach of the Sonoma State University men's soccer team before the school eliminated athletics last year, died in Germany early Tuesday morning after a weekend accident. He was 63.

His family announced on social media that Ziemer, a resident of Rohnert Park, had died after watching a Borussia Dortmund match on Saturday. The Press Democrat reported that Ziemer crashed while riding an electric scooter and suffered a major head injury. His brother, Benjamin, told the Press Democrat that doctors removed him from life support at around 5:30 p.m. Pacific time Monday.

Marcus Ziemer/KPIX

Ziemer and his younger brothers Benjamin, Andrew, and Christopher are all former soccer players who went on to coach and develop programs across the Bay Area and Northern California, especially in the North Bay. The four operated Ziemer Brothers Soccer Camps for more than two decades, and their work with youth soccer clubs and the NorCal Premier Soccer league created a regional ecosystem synonymous with the Ziemer name.

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