Chester Robert "Chet" Simmons (July 11, 1928 – March 25, 2010) was a television executive. He worked at
ABC Sports
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
,
NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
and
ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, and was the first Commissioner of the
USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
. From 1957 to 1964, he helped build ABC Sports into a leader in sports programming and was a key part of the development of ''Wide World of Sports''. He joined NBC Sports in 1964 where he stayed for 15 years becoming the first President in 1977. At NBC, he pioneered instant replay and coverage of the Olympics and NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. In 1979, he left NBC to join the soon to launch ESPN becoming its second President.
At ESPN, he oversaw the launch of the Network, the development of ''SportsCenter'', the first broadcasts of the NFL Draft, coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and the development of
Chris Berman
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for '' SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Coun ...
,
Bob Ley,
George Grande
George Grande (born 1947) (pronounced like the English word "grand") is an American sportscaster who is a former broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.
Grande is also famous for having hosted the first broadcast of '' Sp ...
,
Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryan ...
and
Dick Vitale
Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster fo ...
. In 1982, he became the first Commissioner of the
United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
and led it through three Championships and players including
Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia.
...
,
Jim Kelly
James Edward Kelly (born February 14, 1960) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 11 seasons with the Buffalo Bills. He also spent two seasons with the Houston Gamblers of the United State ...
,
Reggie White
Reginald Howard White (December 19, 1961 – December 26, 2004) was an American professional football player who played defensive end in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons during the 1980s and 1990s. He played college football for ...
,
Steve Young
Jon Steven Young (born October 11, 1961) is an American former professional football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 15 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. He also played for the Tampa Bay Buccane ...
and
Anthony Carter.
He is the 2005 recipient of the Sports Emmy Lifetime Achievement Award and a member of the University of Alabama College of Communications and Information Sciences Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the Sports Broadcasting Hall of Fame in 2010.
Biography
Early life
Born in New York City on July 11, 1928, Simmons was raised in
Ossining, New York
Ossining may refer to:
* Ossining (town), New York, a town in Westchester County, New York state
*Ossining (village), New York, a village in the town of Ossining
* Ossining High School, a comprehensive public high school in Ossining village
* Ossi ...
and
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
Pawtucket is a city in Providence County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 75,604 at the 2020 census, making the city the fourth-largest in the state. Pawtucket borders Providence and East Providence to the south, Central Falls ...
.
[Sandomir, Richard. "Chet Simmons, a Founding Force of ESPN, Dies at 81," ''The New York Times'', Saturday, March 27, 2010.](_blank)
/ref> His father Leonard Simmons, a Polish immigrant, manufactured women's house dress
A house dress is a type of simple dress worn informally at home for household chores or for quick errands. The term originated in the late nineteenth century to describe at-home garments designed for maximum practicality and usually made from w ...
es. His mother Rose "Kitty" Suffin was a first-generation American. Chet went to West High School in Pawtucket where he played baseball, football, and cards. His love for sports began when he was a child listening to Brooklyn Dodgers
The Brooklyn Dodgers were a Major League Baseball team founded in 1884 as a member of the American Association (19th century), American Association before joining the National League in 1890. They remained in Brooklyn until 1957, after which the ...
games on the family car's radio.[Sarkissian II, Arek. "Broadcast pioneer Simmons dies at 81," ''Savannah Morning News'', Friday, March 26, 2010.](_blank)
/ref> After high school, he first attended George Washington University
, mottoeng = "God is Our Trust"
, established =
, type = Private federally chartered research university
, academic_affiliations =
, endowment = $2.8 billion (2022)
, preside ...
but later transferred to the University of Alabama
The University of Alabama (informally known as Alabama, UA, or Bama) is a Public university, public research university in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. Established in 1820 and opened to students in 1831, the University of Alabama is the oldest and la ...
where he graduated with a bachelor's degree
A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...
in broadcasting
Broadcasting is the distribution (business), distribution of sound, audio or video content to a dispersed audience via any electronic medium (communication), mass communications medium, but typically one using the electromagnetic spectrum (radio ...
in 1950. He went on to receive a Master of Science
A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...
in television from Boston University
Boston University (BU) is a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. The university is nonsectarian, but has a historical affiliation with the United Methodist Church. It was founded in 1839 by Methodists with its original campu ...
. While in college, Simmons became a brother of Alpha Epsilon Pi
Alpha Epsilon Pi (), commonly known as AEPi, is a college fraternity founded at New York University in 1913 by Charles C. Moskowitz and ten other men. The fraternity has more than 150 active chapters across the United States, Canada, United Kingdo ...
. He served in the United States Coast Guard
The United States Coast Guard (USCG) is the maritime security, search and rescue, and law enforcement service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the country's eight uniformed services. The service is a maritime, military, mult ...
after completing his graduate studies
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate (bachelor's) degree.
The organization and struc ...
.["Former ESPN president dies at 81," ESPN.com, Friday, March 26, 2010.](_blank)
/ref> While in the Coast Guard, he was stationed in Cape May and was the sports editor of the Coast Guard's Newspaper. Following his Coast Guard assignment, he started his media career in NYC at advertising agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample
Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS and later DFS-Dorland) was a Madison Avenue advertising agency during the 20th century. It was founded in Chicago in 1923, and was acquired and merged into the Saatchi & Saatchi network in the 1980s.
History
The ag ...
.
Personal life
Simmons and his wife Harriet met in NYC where she was working as a medical technologist. Harriet was born and raised in Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...
with roots in Savannah, Georgia
Savannah ( ) is the oldest city in the U.S. state of Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia and is the county seat of Chatham County, Georgia, Chatham County. Established in 1733 on the Savannah River, the city of Savannah became the Kingdom of Great Br ...
. Their first date included the Elbow Room at the Beekman Towers, and her finishing his meal. They were married in Brentwood, New York at Simmons' uncle's farm in 1956. Harriet and Chet started their life together in Queens, New York while Simmons was working in Manhattan in the ad agency business and then later at Sports Programs Inc. founded by Edgar Sherick and later merged into create ABC Sports. While living in Jericho, Long Island, their first child Pam was born in 1959 (the same year the Dodgers beat the White Sox to win the World Series) and then Jed in 1960 (the same year the US won Olympic Gold in Men's Ice Hockey in Squaw Valley). With his growing life in sports, the family moved to Manhattan, where Pete was born in 1969 (the same year the Jets won Super Bowl III
Super Bowl III was an American football game played on January 12, 1969 at the Orange Bowl in Miami, Florida. It was the third AFL–NFL Championship Game in professional American football, and the first to officially bear the trademark name "Su ...
and the Mets won the World Series, both broadcast live on NBC Sports). While still with NBC, Chet and Harriet settled in Old Greenwich, Connecticut in 1971 and had Nicole (Nikki) in 1972 (the year NBC Sports televised the XI Olympic Games in Sapparo, Japan). In 1979, the family moved to West Hartford, Connecticut as the opportunity of ESPN unfolded in Bristol. The USFL called for a return to NYC and life in Greenwich, Connecticut in 1982. Harriet and Chet moved to Savannah in 1986, and settled on Tybee Island in 1992.
Simmons was an avid New York Yankees, Dodgers (starting with the Brooklyn Dodgers at Ebbets Field) and Alabama Crimson Tide fan. He loved listening to Mel Allen and Vin Scully on the radio and Tony Kubek, Joe Gargiola, Jack Buck, Greg Gumble and Chris Schenkel. He loved watching SportsCenter, the NFL draft, the early rounds of the NCAA Basketball Championships and all the talent he helped discover and develop. He loved the beach, to smoke cigars, a good laugh, pens, his dogs, Jazz, the Blues, spy novels, and all things London. He was a favorite of Elaine's Restaurant in NYC. He was especially close to his four children and their spouses, Pam and Randy, Jed and Jana, Pete and Gaby, and Nikki and Micah, and nine grandchildren, Zach, Ella, Claudia, Streeter, Ben, Zander, Jack, Reid, and Tyler.
Television career
In 1957, while working at the ad agency Dancer Fitzgerald Sample
Dancer Fitzgerald Sample (DFS and later DFS-Dorland) was a Madison Avenue advertising agency during the 20th century. It was founded in Chicago in 1923, and was acquired and merged into the Saatchi & Saatchi network in the 1980s.
History
The ag ...
, Simmons accepted an invitation from Edgar Scherick
Edgar J. Scherick (October 16, 1924 – December 2, 2002) was an Emmy-winning American television executive and producer of television miniseries, made-for-television films, and theatrical motion pictures.
Life and career
Scherick was born i ...
to join Sports Programs Inc., which would evolve into ABC Sports
ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet.
ABC or abc may also refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting
* American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster
** Disney–ABC Television ...
four years later. Along with Sherick and Roone Arledge, Simmons help pioneer ABC Sports to become the leader in Sports Television in the United States with the creation of Wide World of Sports and full coverage of the Olympics. While at ABC Sports, he became vice president and general manager of programing. Called by colleague Roone Arledge
Roone Pinckney Arledge Jr. (July 8, 1931 – December 5, 2002) was an American sports and news broadcasting executive who was president of ABC Sports from 1968 until 1986 and ABC News from 1977 until 1998, and a key part of the company's rise t ...
"the sanest of my office mates", Simmons played a major role in laying the groundwork for helping ABC to carve its own niche in the world of network sports.
In 1964, Simmons moved over to NBC Sports
NBC Sports is an American programming division of the broadcast network NBC, owned and operated by NBC Sports Group division of NBCUniversal and subsidiary of Comcast. The division is responsible for sports broadcasts on the network, and its d ...
first as Director of Programming and moving up in 1977 to become the first President of NBC Sports. During his 15-year career at NBC, Simmons was instrumental in the creation of "instant replay" and securing major sports properties, including the American Football League, National Football League, Major League Baseball, National Hockey League, NCAA basketball, the Rose and Orange Bowls, Wimbledon and the 1972 and 1980 Olympics (although the 1980 Olympics were boycotted by the United States and NBC's coverage was significantly reduced).
Slightly more than five weeks prior to ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
's official launch on September 7, 1979, Simmons joined as President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
*President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
bringing along fellow NBC Sports executive and long time friend Scotty Connal to head production and operations. Leaving the prestige and comfort of NBC Sports was natural for Simmons and Connal who strongly believed in the idea of a 24-hour sports network. However, at the time cable and satellite channels were just in their infancy with HBO launching in 1975 and CNN yet to go on the air. Simmons and Connal and the young ESPN team got the network up on time launching with the first SportsCenter hosted by George Grande
George Grande (born 1947) (pronounced like the English word "grand") is an American sportscaster who is a former broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.
Grande is also famous for having hosted the first broadcast of '' Sp ...
and Lee Leonard
Lee Leonard (April 3, 1929 – December 16, 2018) was an American television personality who was involved in the launch of cable television networks ESPN and CNN.
Early life
Leonard was born Maxwell Lefkowitz on April 3, 1929, in New York City, ...
followed by a slow-pitch softball game. Together, Simmons and Connal led the company through its infancy building a first class operation in Bristol, Connecticut.["Sports Broadcasting Pioneer Simmons Dies At 81," ''The Associated Press'', Thursday, March 25, 2010.](_blank)
/ref> During his three years, Simmons gave start to some of ESPNs most important franchises including SportsCenter, The NFL Draft and full coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Additionally, he is credited for the hiring of Chris Berman
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for '' SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Coun ...
, Bob Ley, Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryan ...
, Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television journalist and sportscaster, best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's ''Today''. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel. Since 1995, he has hosted H ...
, George Grande
George Grande (born 1947) (pronounced like the English word "grand") is an American sportscaster who is a former broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.
Grande is also famous for having hosted the first broadcast of '' Sp ...
, and many others. He left ESPN to become Commissioner of the USFL
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
in 1982.
George Bodenheimer
George Bodenheimer (born May 6, 1958) is the former president of ESPN Inc. and of ABC's sports division, known since 2006 as ESPN on ABC. He was president of ESPN since November 19, 1998 and of the former ABC Sports since March 3, 2003.
The ''Sp ...
, co-chairman of Disney Media Networks/president of ESPN
ESPN (originally an initialism for Entertainment and Sports Programming Network) is an American international basic cable sports channel owned by ESPN Inc., owned jointly by The Walt Disney Company (80%) and Hearst Communications (20%). The ...
, says that Simmons, working closely with Scotty Connal, shaped ESPN into something that was real and connected with sports fans. Simmons also forged a culture that is still ESPN's defining advantage in the marketplace, according to Bodenheimer. "He treated everyone like a colleague," says Bodenheimer, who was a driver in the mailroom at the time. "And you had these two icons from the broadcast-sports industry who moved to a funny cable startup and got the best out of everybody."
In July 2014, ''Forbes'' magazine named Simmons as one of 7 CEOs Who Took A Gamble and Scored. Included in the list are Bill Gates
William Henry Gates III (born October 28, 1955) is an American business magnate and philanthropist. He is a co-founder of Microsoft, along with his late childhood friend Paul Allen. During his career at Microsoft, Gates held the positions ...
(Microsoft), Larry Page
Lawrence Edward Page (born March 26, 1973) is an American business magnate, computer scientist and internet entrepreneur. He is best known for co-founding Google with Sergey Brin.
Page was the chief executive officer of Google from 1997 unt ...
(Google), Steve Jobs
Steven Paul Jobs (February 24, 1955 – October 5, 2011) was an American entrepreneur, industrial designer, media proprietor, and investor. He was the co-founder, chairman, and CEO of Apple; the chairman and majority shareholder of Pixar; a ...
(Apple), Larry Ellison
Lawrence Joseph Ellison (born August 17, 1944) is an American business magnate and investor who is the co-founder, executive chairman, chief technology officer (CTO) and former chief executive officer (CEO) of the American computer technology ...
(Oracle), Fred Smith (FedEx) and Karen Kaplan (Hill Holiday). "He left his stable position at NBC Sports in 1979 to become president of a new cable sports network dubbed ESPN. In his three years there, he turned the upstart 24-hour sports network into a powerhouse in the TV industry."["7 CEOs Who Took A Gamble and Scored" "Forbes", July 22, 2014.](_blank)
/ref>
During Simmons time at ABC, NBC and ESPN, he helped discover, launch and develop the careers of some of the top announcers in Sports including Jim Simpson, Merlin Olsen
Merlin Jay Olsen (; September 15, 1940 – March 11, 2010) was an American football player, announcer, and actor. For his entire 15-year professional football career he was a defensive tackle with the Los Angeles Rams in the National Football Le ...
, Jim McKay
James Kenneth McManus (September 24, 1921 – June 7, 2008), better known professionally as Jim McKay, was an American television sports journalist.
McKay was best known for hosting ABC's '' Wide World of Sports'' (1961–1998). His introdu ...
, Chris Schenkel
Christopher Eugene Schenkel (August 21, 1923 – September 11, 2005) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of five decades he called play-by-play for numerous sports on television and radio, becoming known for his smooth delivery and bar ...
, Greg Gumbel
Greg Gumbel (born May 3, 1946) is an American television sportscaster. He is best known for his various assignments for CBS Sports (most notably, the National Football League and NCAA basketball). The older brother of news and sportscaster Bryan ...
, Bryant Gumbel
Bryant Charles Gumbel (born September 29, 1948) is an American television journalist and sportscaster, best known for his 15 years as co-host of NBC's ''Today''. He is the younger brother of sportscaster Greg Gumbel. Since 1995, he has hosted H ...
, Dick Enberg
Richard Alan Enberg (January 9, 1935 – December 21, 2017) was an American sportscaster. Over the course of an approximately 60-year career, he provided play-by-play of various sports for several radio and television networks, including N ...
, Curt Gowdy
Curtis Edward Gowdy (July 31, 1919 – February 20, 2006) was an American sportscaster. He called Boston Red Sox games on radio and TV for 15 years, and then covered many nationally televised sporting events, primarily for NBC Sports and ABC Sp ...
, Tony Kubek
Anthony Christopher Kubek (born October 12, 1935) is an American former professional baseball player and television broadcaster. During his nine-year playing career with the New York Yankees, Kubek played in six World Series in the late 1950s an ...
, Joe Garagiola
Joseph Henry Garagiola Sr. (February 12, 1926 – March 23, 2016) was an American professional baseball catcher, later an announcer and television host, popular for his colorful personality.
Garagiola played nine seasons in Major League Basebal ...
, Sandy Koufax
Sanford Koufax (; born Sanford Braun; December 30, 1935) is an American former left-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played his entire career for the Brooklyn/Los Angeles Dodgers from 1955 to 1966. He has been hailed as one of t ...
, Vin Scully
Vincent Edward Scully (November 29, 1927 – August 2, 2022) was an American sportscaster. He was best known for his 67 seasons calling games for Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Dodgers, beginning in 1950 (when the franchise was located ...
, Bud Collins
Arthur Worth "Bud" Collins Jr. (June 17, 1929 – March 4, 2016) was an American journalist and television sportscaster, best known for his tennis commentary. Collins was married to photographer Anita Ruthling Klaussen.
Education
Collins was b ...
, Donna de Varona, Bucky Waters
Raymond Chevalier "Bucky" Waters (born December 17, 1935) is an American basketball broadcaster with ESPN and Madison Square Garden Network and a retired basketball coach. He served as head basketball coach at West Virginia University from 1965 to ...
, George Grande
George Grande (born 1947) (pronounced like the English word "grand") is an American sportscaster who is a former broadcaster for the Cincinnati Reds of Major League Baseball.
Grande is also famous for having hosted the first broadcast of '' Sp ...
, Chris Berman
Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for '' SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Coun ...
, Bob Ley, Tom Mees
Thomas E. Mees (October 13, 1949 – August 14, 1996) was an American sportscaster best known for his role in hosting professional and collegiate ice hockey and for being a prominent personality on ESPN during that network's early years.
Early ...
, Dick Vitale
Richard John Vitale (; born June 9, 1939), also known as "Dickie V", is an American basketball sportscaster. A former head coach in the college and professional ranks, he is well known for his 41-year tenure as a college basketball broadcaster fo ...
, Cliff Drysdale
Eric Clifford Drysdale (born 26 May 1941) is a South African former tennis player. After a career as a highly ranked professional player in the 1960s and early 1970s, he became a well-known tennis announcer.
Drysdale won the singles title at t ...
, Sharon Smith, Tim Ryan, Marv Albert
Marv Albert (born Marvin Philip Aufrichtig; June 12, 1941) is an American retired sportscaster. Honored for his work as a member of the Basketball Hall of Fame, he was commonly referred to as "the voice of basketball". From 1967 to 2004, he ...
, and Jack Buck
John Francis "Jack" Buck (August 21, 1924 – June 18, 2002) was an American sportscaster, best known for his work announcing Major League Baseball games of the St. Louis Cardinals. His play-by-play work earned him recognition from numerous hall ...
.
United States Football League (USFL)
In June 1982, Simmons was appointed the first Commissioner
A commissioner (commonly abbreviated as Comm'r) is, in principle, a member of a commission or an individual who has been given a commission (official charge or authority to do something).
In practice, the title of commissioner has evolved to in ...
of the United States Football League
The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...
a month after its formation. The spring and summer time professional football league was founded by David Dixon
David Dixon (born 28 October 1947) is an English actor and screenwriter. He was born at the Nightingale Maternity Home in Derby, near his father's shop in London Road, and brought up there before the family moved to Normanton in 1959.
Dixon's ...
, a New Orleans entrepreneur. The League, headquartered in New York, launched with 12 teams in Philadelphia, Tampa, Washington, D.C., Birmingham, Oakland, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Michigan, Arizona Los Angeles, and New Jersey/New York. Owners included Myles Tannebaum, John Bassett
John White Hughes Bassett, (August 25, 1915 – April 27, 1998) was a Canadian media proprietor.
Born in Ottawa, Ontario, he was the son of John Bassett (1886–1958), publisher of the ''Montreal Gazette'', and Marion Avery (née Wright). ...
, Alfred Taubman
Adolph Alfred "Al" Taubman (January 31, 1924 – April 17, 2015) was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist.
He was convicted in 2002 for a price-fixing scheme involving the top two auction houses in the United States.
Backgro ...
, J. Walter Duncan
J. Walter Duncan Jr. (November 26, 1916 – February 21, 2009) was an American businessman. He was born in Illinois, but moved to Oklahoma in 1949. He worked in the oil and gas industry. He held a 90 percent interest in the New Jersey Generals fo ...
, and Bill Daniels
Robert William Daniels Jr. (July 1, 1920 – March 7, 2000) was an American cable television executive and owner of professional sports teams. He was a pioneer in building the cable television industry and was known as the "father of cable televi ...
. With Simmons success with the NFL Draft on ESPN, the League's first draft was held in NYC on January 4, 1983 where the Los Angeles Express selected quarterback Dan Marino
Daniel Constantine Marino Jr. (born September 15, 1961) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 17 seasons with the Miami Dolphins. After a successful college career at Pittsburgh and be ...
of the University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
. Marino chose to pass on the Express and signed with the Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...
of the NFL
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...
who chose him 27th in the 1st Round. Understanding the importance of big name players and coaches, the owners with Simmons and his top deputy Steve Erhart
''yes'Steve is a masculine given name, usually a short form (hypocorism) of Steven or Stephen
Notable people with the name include:
steve jops
* Steve Abbott (disambiguation), several people
* Steve Adams (disambiguation), several people
* Steve ...
worked hard to land big names in the first year including running back Tim Spencer (Ohio State) who signed with the Chicago Blitz, Herschel Walker
Herschel Junior Walker (born March 3, 1962) is an American former football running back who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 12 seasons. He was also the Republican nominee in the 2022 United States Senate election in Georgia.
...
(University of Georgia) the New Jersey Generals (a three-year contract worth $1.2 million per year with a $1 million signing bonus, and ownership in one of J. Walter Duncan's oil wells), Greg Landry
Gregory Paul Landry (born December 18, 1946) is a former American football player and coach who played quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) from 1968 to 1981, and again in 1984. He played for the Detroit Lions, Baltimore Colts and C ...
the Chicago Blitz, Chuck Fusina
Charles Anthony Fusina (born May 31, 1957) is a former American college and professional football player who was a quarterback in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL) for seven seasons during the 1970s and ...
and Kelvin Bryant
Kelvin LeRoy Bryant (born September 26, 1960) is a former American football running back in the National Football League and the United States Football League.
High school
Bryant played two years of varsity football at Tarboro High School in Ta ...
both with the Philadelphia Stars, Steve Spurrier
Stephen Orr Spurrier (born April 20, 1945) is an American former American football, football quarterback and coach who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 10 seasons before coaching for 38 years, primarily in college. He is often ...
to coach in Tampa Bay, George Allen George Allen may refer to:
Politics and law
* George E. Allen (1896–1973), American political operative and one-time head coach of the Cumberland University football team
* George Allen (Australian politician) (1800–1877), Mayor of Sydney and ...
as the coach of the Chicago Blitz, Red Miller
Robert "Red" Miller (October 31, 1927 – September 27, 2017) was an American football coach. He served as the head coach for the Denver Broncos of the National Football League (NFL) from 1977 to 1980. In his first year as Denver's head coach, h ...
formerly of the Denver Broncos to coach the Denver Gold, and Canadian Football League coaching legends Ray Jauch
Ray Jauch ( ; born February 11, 1938) is an American former gridiron football player and coach. He was head coach in the Canadian Football League (CFL), the United States Football League (USFL), and the Arena Football League. He won 127 regular ...
joining the Washington Federals and Hugh Campbell
Hugh Campbell (born May 21, 1941) is a former American football and Canadian football player, coach, and executive. He served as a head coach in three different professional gridiron football leagues: the Canadian Football League (CFL), the Uni ...
, joining the L.A. Express.
Under Simmons leadership, the USFL expanded to 18 teams including Pittsburgh, Houston, Oklahoma, Jacksonville, San Antonio, Memphis and New Orleans (moved from Boston), secured TV rights with ESPN, and crowned three Champions – Michigan Panthers (1983), Philadelphia Stars (1984), and Baltimore Stars (1985). The lineup of stars to play in the USFL included Brian Sipe, Steve Young, Bobby Hebert, and Doug Flutie.
Due to Simmons' background in television, there was a perception that the USFL was a "made for television" entity. One of the USFL's first accomplishments under Simmons watch was the signing of a two-year contract with ESPN. It was the cable network's first-ever agreement with a sports league
A sports league is a group of sports teams or individual athletes that compete against each other and gain points in a specific sport. At its simplest, it may be a local group of amateur sports, amateur athletes who form teams among themselves and ...
to televise select regular-season games. The USFL also had a two-year deal with ABC, consummated before Simmons' hiring.["LAOOC's Usher Replaces Simmons as the Commissioner of the USFL," ''The Associated Press'', Wednesday, January 16, 1985.](_blank)
/ref>
The league incurred heavy financial losses and Simmons increasingly came under fire from some club owners for failing to negotiate a more lucrative network television
Network, networking and networked may refer to:
Science and technology
* Network theory, the study of graphs as a representation of relations between discrete objects
* Network science, an academic field that studies complex networks
Mathematics
...
deal. On January 14, 1985, Simmons' resigned as Commissioner. He was replacing by Harry Usher
Harry Lester Usher (March 6, 1939 – June 22, 2000) was an American attorney who was the second and last commissioner of the United States Football League (USFL). He was also the executive vice president and general manager of the Los Ang ...
, an attorney who had served as the executive vice president
A vice president, also director in British English, is an officer in government or business who is below the president (chief executive officer) in rank. It can also refer to executive vice presidents, signifying that the vice president is on t ...
and general manager
A general manager (GM) is an executive who has overall responsibility for managing both the revenue and cost elements of a company's income statement, known as profit & loss (P&L) responsibility. A general manager usually oversees most or all of ...
of the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee
The Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIII Olympiad, or LAOOC, also known as the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee, was an informal name for the Los Angeles Olympic Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXII ...
. After Simmons's departure, the league tried to move a traditional fall schedule for the 1986 season, but the USFL filed an antitrust lawsuit against the NFL. The USFL did win the case, but was awarded $1 in damages, and the league shut down.
References
External links
Fang's Bites: Chet Simmons, The First President of ESPN, 1928-2010
Fang's Bites: Videos of the Week – Chet Simmons’ Influence on Sports
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Chet
1928 births
2010 deaths
ESPN executives
American Broadcasting Company executives
NBC executives
Businesspeople from New York City
United States Football League executives
Presidents of NBC Sports
Presidents of ESPN
George Washington University alumni
Boston University College of Communication alumni