Zinke was born in Bozeman, Montana, and raised in Whitefish. He is the son of Jean Montana (Harlow) Petersen and Ray Dale Zinke, a plumber.[10][11] He was a Boy Scout and earned his Eagle Scout award.[12] He was a star athlete at Whitefish High School and accepted a football scholarship to the University of Oregon in Eugene; recruited as an outside linebacker, he switched to offense and was an undersized starting center for the Ducks of the Pac-10 under head coach Rich Brooks.[13][14] Zinke earned a B.S. in geology in 1984 and graduated with honors.[15][16] In American Commander, he wrote that he decided on his major by "randomly pointing to a major from the academic catalog."[16] Zinke's intended career path was underwater geology.[16] Zinke later earned an M.B.A. from National University in 1993 and an M.S. in global leadership from the University of San Diego in 2003.[15]