Chester R. SImmons

For more than four decades, Chester R. “Chet” Simmons has made major contributions to the world of sports broadcasting and has helped shape contemporary sports television. Simmons graduated from The University of Alabama in 1950 and shortly thereafter received a master’s degree from Boston University. In 1957, Simmons joined Sports Programs Inc., a move that officially launched his career in sports television. It was not long before the Sports Programs organization evolved into the highly acclaimed ABC-TV sports lineup, including Wide World of Sports and the network’s Olympic Games coverage. While at ABC, Simmons was involved in creating the inaugural television program package for broadcasting the American Football League. Simmons’ work with the American Football League is recognized as instrumental in the league’s survival during its early years and its subsequent merger with the National Football League.

Beginning in 1964, Simmons became an executive for NBC Sports and eventually rose to the position of president, an office he inaugurated and held from 1977 to 1979. His work positioned NBC for stronger coverage of sports, including baseball, basketball and professional football. Simmons was also instrumental in the creation of the highly successful Sports World program and was involved in NBC acquiring the rights to televise NCAA football, major league baseball and the 1980 Summer Olympic Games. Many directly credit NBC’s success in sports coverage to the work of Chet Simmons.

In the late 1970s, Simmons helped launch the Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, better known as ESPN. Beginning September 7, 1979, Simmons served as founding president and CEO of the network. He was instrumental in the development of the signature telecast SportsCenter and the concept to televise the NFL draft, both of which helped transform ESPN from a mediumsized cable TV network into a marketing empire. Simmons’ work established ESPN as the most successful network of its kind.

In 1982, Simmons took on the almost impossible challenge of launching the United States Football League. In 1983 the USFL debuted with 12 teams, including the Birmingham Stallions and the Memphis Showboats, as well as national TV contracts with both ESPN and ABC. The league satisfied the networks in its opening season by averaging over 24,000 fans per game and snaring marquise players like Herschel Walker.

Simmons is currently president and CEO of his own media consulting company and is also an adjunct professor at The University of South Carolina, where he teaches and mentors students studying in the Department of Sports Administration. Since 2000, Simmons has served as a director for Magnum Sports and Entertainment and has been the director for Select Media Communications since 1999. He also helped start the Savannah Sports Council and is on the board of the new and increasingly popular Farmer’s Almanac TV program. In 2005, at the 26th Annual Sports Emmy Awards, Simmons was honored by the National Television Academy with the highly acclaimed Sports Lifetime Achievement Award. Chet Simmons is a true sports broadcasting pioneer.