Chet Simmons – First USFL Commissioner – Passes Away
Chet Simmons was the first commissioner of the USFL when the league was announced in 1982. He then held the position until after the 1984 USFL season when he was replaced by Harry Usher. He passed away late this week at the age of 81.
Our condolences go out to his family, friends, and colleagues throughout the sports and television industries. Here are two clips about Chet Simmons from ESPN:
On a personal note, when doing a college research project on the USFL years ago I was able to track down Chet Simmons. Yes, this was before the internet was widely available!
He was gracious to answer my questions and I found out that when he was the USFL commissioner that he lived about 2 miles from where I did. We shared stories about the neighborhood as well as the USFL and was gracious with his time to a complete stranger.
Those who were involved with the USFL had lots of good things to say about him, and USFLMemorabilia.com wishes Chet’s family all of our prayers during this time.
League Officials, USFL history | admin
Chet Simmons, Chet Simmons USFL, Chet Simmons USFL Commissioner
