No. 61, 63, 60, 57 | |||||
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Position: | Linebacker | ||||
Personal information | |||||
Born: | Goldsboro, North Carolina, U.S. | January 19, 1957||||
Height: | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | ||||
Weight: | 221 lb (100 kg) | ||||
Career information | |||||
High school: | Goldsboro (NC) Rosewood | ||||
College: | North Carolina | ||||
NFL draft: | 1979 / round: 6 / pick: 153 | ||||
Career history | |||||
Career NFL statistics | |||||
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Dave Simmons (born January 19, 1957) is an American former professional football linebacker in the National Football League (NFL) and United States Football League (USFL). He was selected by the Green Bay Packers in the sixth round of the 1979 NFL draft and played that season with the team. [1] The following season, he was a member of the Detroit Lions. After a season away from the NFL, he played with the Baltimore Colts during the 1982 NFL season and the Chicago Bears during the 1983 NFL season. In the fall of 1984, Simmons signed with the defending USFL Champion Baltimore Stars but was traded to the Houston Gamblers for a draft choice during training camp in February 1985. Simmons made the opening day roster of the Gamblers, however, was deactivated for the first game at Los Angeles and two days later was waived. Three weeks later, Simmons signed with the Arizona Outlaws and played as a reserve linebacker for the remaining 15 games (starting 3).
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Chester Robert Simmons was a television executive. He worked at ABC Sports, NBC Sports and ESPN, and was the first Commissioner of the USFL. From 1957 to 1964, he helped build ABC Sports into a leader in sports programming and was a key part of the development of Wide World of Sports. He joined NBC Sports in 1964, where he stayed for 15 years becoming the first President in 1977. At NBC, he pioneered instant replay and coverage of the Olympics and NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four. In 1979, he left NBC to join the soon to launch ESPN becoming its second President. At ESPN, he oversaw the launch of the network, the development of SportsCenter, the first broadcasts of the NFL Draft, coverage of the early rounds of the NCAA Men's Basketball Final Four and the development of Chris Berman, Bob Ley, George Grande, Greg Gumbel and Dick Vitale. In 1982, he became the first Commissioner of the United States Football League and led it through three championships and players including Herschel Walker, Jim Kelly, Reggie White, Steve Young and Anthony Carter.
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