ATLANTA — Chester Simmons,
president of ESPN when it
launched in 1979, died March
25, here, of natural causes,
ESPN said. He was 81.
Chet Simmons began his
sports career in 1957 with
Sports Programs Inc., the predecessor
of ABC Sports, where
he helped develop the iconic
ABC’s Wide World of Sports. He
also served as president of
NBC Sports and founding commissioner
of the United States
Football League.
He received the Lifetime
Achievement award at the
2005 Sports Emmys.
He is survived by Harriet, his
wife of 53 years; four children,
Pam, Jed, Pete and Nikki; his
daughter-in-law, Jana Simmons;
his sons-in-law Randy
Miller and Micah Goldstein;
and nine grandchildren, Ella,
Zach, Claudia, Streeter, Ben,
Zander, Jack, Reid and Tyler.
“Chet Simmons’ leadership
and vision in our first
years were absolutely critical
to ESPN’s survival,” ESPN
and ABC Sports president
George Bodenheimer said in
a statement. “He was the only
industry president to have
pioneered both sports broadcasting
in the late ’50s and
cable television in the late ’70s.
His legacy lives on in ESPN’s
culture, stellar employees and
commentators, and innovative
programming. Our thoughts
and prayers are with his wife,
Harriet, and his children.”
Simmons joined ESPN as
president and chief operating
officer on July 31, 1979, just
prior to the network’s Sept.
7 launch. In May of 1980, he
was promoted to CEO. His
notable achievements include:
the birth of flagship franchise
SportsCenter on day one;
television’s first comprehensive
coverage of the early rounds of
the NCAA Men’s Division I Basketball
Championship; and the
innaugural NFL Draft telecast,
both in 1980.
