Chief Zee

American sports fan (1941–2016)

Chief Zee

Chief Zee with a fan at FedEx Field on January 10, 2016

Born| (1941-07-07)July 7, 1941

Colquitt, Georgia

Died| July 19, 2016(2016-07-19) (aged 75)

Oxon Hill, Maryland

Zema Williams (July 7, 1941 – July 19, 2016), better known as Chief Zee, was a well-known fan and unofficial mascot of the franchise then known as the Washington Redskins. Dressed in a faux Native American war bonnet, rimmed glasses, and red jacket, Chief Zee began attending Redskins games in 1978.

## History

[edit]

Born in Colquitt, Georgia on July 7, 1941,[1] Williams worked as a sharecropper and picked cotton as a youth. He later drove a truck, when he got a draft notice in 1960. Two years later, he completed his military service at Fort Riley, and returned to driving trucks. By 1968, he was a car salesman in Washington, D.C.[2]

Williams first showed up in costume at RFK Stadium on September 10, 1978.[3] In 1983, Chief Zee attended a game against the Eagles at Veterans Stadium. Following their team's 10-point loss to the Redskins,[4] he was attacked, suffering a broken arm, leg and ribs as well as a torn original costume, leaving him hospitalized.[5] He returned the next year to Philadelphia but after a woman threw a beer in his face, it was his last time.[6]

On August 9, 2008, Williams set down his signature prop, a toy tomahawk, while he was signing autographs at the Redskins' preseason game against the Buffalo Bills. When he turned to retrieve it, it was gone. The 12-inch tomahawk had a slender wooden handle with a rubber blade, and appears in many photos of Williams since he started attending Redskins games over 30 years prior.[7] By August 28, 2008, Chief Zee's tomahawk was returned to him with the help of Redskins tight end Chris Cooley who got a call from someone that said they had it. He swapped a signed jersey for the tomahawk.[8]

Zee (left) with fans in 2011

In his later years, Williams lived on Social Security and had difficulty walking. Daniel Snyder, the former owner of the Redskins, purchased the scooter that he used. Williams also faced eviction due to not being able to keep up with his rent, but several fans used a GoFundMe campaign to raise enough to pay both back rent and enough ahead that the situation would not arise again.[9]

Williams died in his sleep on July 19, 2016, 12 days after his 75th birthday.[10]

## Honors

[edit]

* November 7, 1985, was declared "Chief Zee Day" in Washington, D.C.
* In 2000, Visa and the Pro Football Hall of Fame selected the biggest fan of each of the then-31 teams and placed them in an exhibit in Canton. He was the fan chosen for the Washington Redskins.

## Controversy

[edit]

Some people consider Williams' portrayal of American Indians to have been offensive.[11][12] His use of a stylized headdress was often referenced as the reason for offense, as the headdress is a sacred, central cultural item for many tribes.[13]

## See also

[edit]

* The Barrel Man
* Crazy Ray
* Fireman Ed
* Hogettes
* License Plate Guy

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Redskins Fans Pay Respects To Zema Williams At Funeral Service". Archived from the original on 23 March 2017. Retrieved 20 April 2017.
2. ^ Wise, Mike (September 3, 2013). "Chief Zee's time as Redskins' unofficial mascot is nearly over". washingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
3. ^ "Super-Fan Chief Zee's Heartfelt Comfort to the Enemy". Retrieved on 2007-11-11.
4. ^ "Washington-Philadelphia". Database Football.com. Archived from the original on November 22, 2011.
5. ^ "Redskins fan sidelined". washingtontimes.com. July 17, 2006. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
6. ^ McKenna, Dave. "Chief Zee, Washington's Naive, Aggressively Racist Mascot, Is Dead". Deadspin. Retrieved July 28, 2016.
7. ^ "Marissa Newhall - Names & Faces". Washingtonpost.com. Retrieved July 20, 2016.
8. ^ Tomahawk returned [dead link]
9. ^ Terl, Matt (April 21, 2016). "Unobstructed View: Pigskins Fans Lend a Hand to the Man Behind Chief Zee". The Washington City Paper.
10. ^ Stabley, Matthew (July 19, 2016). "Redskins Superfan Chief Zee Has Died". NBC Washington. NBC News. Retrieved July 19, 2016.
11. ^ "How Chief Zee Could Change the History of Washington Football". Archived from the original on February 19, 2011. Retrieved March 26, 2010.
12. ^ Milloy, Courtland (October 21, 2009). "On the sidelines, the sad symbol of a sorry tradition". The Washington Post. Retrieved August 5, 2014.
13. ^ "Law Enforcement Repatriates Eagle Feather War Bonnet to Standing Rock Sioux". U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. November 4, 1999. Retrieved July 20, 2016.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Chief Zee.

* v
* t
* e

Native American mascot controversy

Professional sports teams|

* Atlanta Braves
* Tomahawk chop and name controversy
* Chief Noc-A-Homa
* Chicago Blackhawks
* name and logo controversy
* Kansas City Chiefs
* name controversy

Prior usage|

| Washington Redskins|

* Name controversy
* Name change advocates
* Trademark dispute
* Opinion polls
* Original Americans Foundation
* Chief Zee
* Washington Redhawks

|

Other teams|

* Cleveland Indians
* name and logo controversy
* Chief Wahoo
* Edmonton Eskimos
* Golden State Warriors

College teams|

* NCAA Native American mascot decision
* Chief Illiniwek
* Florida State Seminoles
* Osceola and Renegade
* Sammy Seminole
* Fighting Sioux name controversy
* San Diego State Aztec Warrior
* List of college teams

Youth and school teams|

* Sports teams named Redskins
* List of secondary school teams

Change advocates|

* Amanda Blackhorse
* Brett Chapman
* Gregg Deal
* Stephanie Fryberg
* Deb Haaland
* Suzan Shown Harjo
* Adrienne Keene
* Jacqueline Keeler
* Mary Kathryn Nagle
* Robert Roche
* Sundance
* Charlene Teters
* Philip Yenyo

Related|

* Contemporary Native American issues in the United States
* Cultural appropriation
* Indigenous intellectual property
* List of teams
* Native American mascot laws and regulations
* Pretendian
* Redface
* Redskin
* Stereotypes of Indigenous peoples of Canada and the United States
* Tomahawk chop

* v
* t
* e

Washington Commanders

* Formerly the Boston Braves (1932), Boston Redskins (1933–1936), Washington Redskins (1937–2019), and Washington Football Team (2020–2021)
* Based in Landover, Maryland
* Headquartered in Ashburn, Virginia

Affiliations|

* League: National Football League
* Conference: National Football Conference
* Division: East Division

Franchise|

* History
* Seasons
* All-time roster (A–Ke, Kh–Z)
* Head coaches
* Draft
* first-round picks
* Starting quarterbacks
* Records
* Broadcasters

Stadiums|

* Braves Field
* Fenway Park
* Griffith Stadium
* RFK Stadium
* Northwest Stadium
* New Commanders Stadium (proposed)

Key personnel|

* Managing partner: Josh Harris
* Limited partners: Mitchell Rales, Magic Johnson, Mark Ein
* President: Mark Clouse
* General manager: Adam Peters
* Head coach: Dan Quinn

Culture and lore|

* "Hail to the Commanders"
* Marching Band
* Major Tuddy
* Hogettes
* Chief Zee
* Redskins name controversy
* Name change advocates
* Opinion polls
* Trademark dispute
* Original Americans Foundation
* "Go Fund Yourself"
* The Replacements
* Everybody's All-American
* Redskins Rule
* Operation Flagship
* Ricky Williams trade
* The Hogs
* The Fun Bunch
* The Over-the-Hill Gang
* Bears 73, Redskins 0
* Body Bag Game
* Hail Maryland

Rivalries|

* Dallas Cowboys
* New York Giants
* Philadelphia Eagles

Retired numbers|

* 9
* 21
* 28
* 33
* 49

Hall of Famers|

* Cliff Battles
* Sammy Baugh
* Bill Dudley
* Turk Edwards
* Joe Gibbs
* Darrell Green
* Russ Grimm
* Chris Hanburger
* Ken Houston
* Sam Huff
* Deacon Jones
* Stan Jones
* Sonny Jurgensen
* Paul Krause
* Vince Lombardi
* Wayne Millner
* Bobby Mitchell
* Art Monk
* John Riggins
* Bruce Smith
* Charley Taylor

League championships (5)|

* 1937
* 1942
* 1982
* 1987
* 1991

Division championships (15)|

* 1936
* 1937
* 1940
* 1942
* 1943
* 1945
* 1972
* 1983
* 1984
* 1987
* 1991
* 1999
* 2012
* 2015
* 2020

Wild Card playoff berths (10)|

* 1971
* 1973
* 1974
* 1976
* 1986
* 1990
* 1992
* 2005
* 2007
* 2024

* Category
* Commons

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template