A “founding father of sports television” died on Thursday.
Former ESPN and NBC Sports president Chet Simmons passed away on Thursday, due to natural causes. He was 81.
Simmons was the first president of ESPN, leading the then-fledgling company from 1979 to 1982. In a release, ESPN credited Simmons for “the birth and direction of SportsCenter,” as well as “television?s first comprehensive coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Men?s Basketball Tournament” and the NFL Draft.
Prior to joining ESPN, Simmons spent 15 years with NBC Sports (1964-79), including two years as president of the division (1977-79).
Simmons also worked for ABC Sports from 1957-64, serving as a vice president and general manager.
(ESPN)
