Unless you're really into the names of the folks behind the scenes in the world of sports you probably never heard of Chet Simmons prior to his death. But if you are a sports fan you've seen the results of Chet Simmons work. In fact Chet had a great deal to do with the face of sports as you know them today, probably as much or more than any other single person.
Here's a partial list of the sports broadcasting legends that Simmons helped get started: Jim Simpson, Greg and Bryant Gumbel, Dick Enberg, Curt Gowdy, Vin Scully, Dick Vitale, Cliff Drysdale, Jack Buck and Chris Berman. His career was synonymous with great sports broadcasting. Simmons started his career in the late '50's at ABC where he helped to create the legend of the original "World Wide Leader in Sports". Any sports fan of my generation spent hours watching the iconic show "The Wide World of Sports" which took us all over the world and introduced to us to sports and personalities unknown before. Chet Simmons helped to create that program and the personalities that came with it. A few years later he would move on the NBC sports and bring that network its greatest years as a sports network. He would have a hand in the beginnings of instant replay and getting up close and personal with the game during NFL broadcasts. He brought us the coverage of the AFL (Bills fans owe this guy a lot. That league would have disappeared without a trace without the TV coverage and taken our team with it). During his time a the Peacock Network he brought them the NFL, Major League Baseball, the NHL, college football, the bowl games and Wimbledon.
Then at the height of his career, as the president of NBC sports he jumped ship to a start up cable network that nobody thought had a chance. Simmons would set ESPN on the road to the dominance it now holds. He decided to cover the NFL draft when even the NFL didn't think anyone was interested. And if you've spent the last couple weeks wrapped up in March Madness it was Simmons inspired coverage by ESPN that made the tournament the sports monster it is today.
After effectively being forced out at the cable sports network Simmons took on the job as the first commissioner of the USFL. The only success the league saw was under his brief watch.
If you're a sport fan you know Chet Simmons work. Quite simply he along with a very small group of others basically created the world of sports you know and love. He wasn't afraid to take a chance and go for the win. And isn't that what the very definition of being a champion? Chet Simmons was 81.
Call that the View From the Phlipside.
"The View From the Phlipside" airs on WRFA-LP Jamestown NY. You can listen to WRFA online HERE
Copyright - Jay Phillippi 2010
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