Lon Simmons
| Lon Simmons | |
|---|---|
Simmons poses for a KSFO advertisement in 1971.
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| Born |
Lonnie Alexander Simmons July 19, 1923 Vancouver, Washington, U.S. |
| Died | April 5, 2015 (aged 91) Daly City, California, U.S. |
| Residence | San Francisco, California, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Television broadcaster |
| Known for | Broadcasting for the San Francisco Giants (baseball) the San Francisco 49ers (American football) |
| Home town | Burbank, California |
Lonnie Alexander "Lon" Simmons (July 19, 1923 – April 5, 2015) was an American baseball and football broadcaster, and was broadcasting part-time for the San Francisco Giants at the time of his death. He was born in Vancouver, Washington. Simmons was a star pitcher at Burbank High School and Glendale College before enlisting in the U.S. Coast Guard. After World War II, he signed with the Philadelphia Phillies and pitched briefly in their minor league system.
His radio career began in Elko, Nevada, and he first announced baseball for a semipro league in Marysville, California. After spending three years broadcasting Fresno State sports on KMJ, Simmons came to San Francisco in 1957 as the color announcer for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League, teamed with play-by-play announcer Bob Fouts. In 1958, Simmons took over as play-by-play announcer on 49ers radio broadcasts, paired with former 49er Gordy Soltau. Simmons remained in that role through the 1980 season.
Simmons' most famous call during his first stint with the 49ers came on October 25, 1964, when Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jim Marshall picked up a fumble by the 49ers' Billy Kilmer and ran it the wrong way, scoring a safety for the 49ers instead of a touchdown for the Vikings (who won the game anyway, by a score of 27-22). The transcript of his call, including his mid-sentence transition as the moment occurred, reads as:
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