THE BAY AREA RADIO MUSEUM
PRESENTS A TRIBUTE TO
HALL OF FAME BROADCASTER
LON SIMMONS
The Sounds Of Simmons
A visitor to San Francisco in the 1960s once referred to it as “The City of the Deaf” because everyone appeared to be outfitted with hearing aids. Those earpieces were actually connected to tiny transistor radios, the better to listen to the San Francisco Giants on 560/KSFO, with Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons in the broadcast booth at Candlestick Park.
From 1958, when the Giants arrived in Baghdad By The Bay, through the 1970 season, after which Hodges retired, the duo was among the finest to have graced the airwaves. From 1958 until 1962, in order to free Simmons up for 49ers broadcasts, they were joined in the broadcast booth by Bill King. When King left following the Giants’ NL pennant-winning 1962 season, Russ and Lon were joined by Bill Thompson, a longtime friend of Simmons.
In recognition of their talents, Hodges (1980) and Simmons (2004) were honored with the Ford C. Frick Award by the National Baseball Hall of Fame for their major contributions to baseball. In addition, Lon Simmons was inducted into the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame in 2006 as a member of the first class to be enshrined. Russ Hodges was inducted into BARHOF as a member of the Class of 2008.
We take you back now to those thrilling days of yesteryear…
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More Sounds of Simmons… |
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1957 |
49ers vs. Colts (December 8, 1957; Partial Broadcast) Bob Fouts and Lon Simmons broadcast the game from the friendly confines of Kezar Stadium. |
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1962 |
“The Giants Win The Pennant!” (1962; LP Album) A wrap-up of the Giants’ phenomenal 1962 pennant-winning season, narrated by Russ and Lon, and featuring clips from KSFO broadcasts. |
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1970 |
Giants vs. Cubs (June 6, 1970; Complete) Russ Hodges and Lon Simmons broadcast the game from the friendly confines of Wrigley Field. |
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1972 |
Lon Simmons Sports Report on KSFO (1972) A brief excerpt from one of Lon’s popular 5:45 PM sports reports, made an instant classic as the result of an unexpected sound bite dropped into the broadcast… |
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2004 |
Lon Simmons: Hall Of Fame Speech (July 25, 2004) Lon at his finest, at perhaps his greatest moment: accepting the Ford C. Frick Award at the National Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown. |
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49ers |
Lon Simmons: Great 49er Plays (Assorted Clips) Some of Lon’s most memorable calls on 49ers broadcasts, including the fabled Jim Marshall “wrong-way safety” (Oct. 25, 1964); Joe Montana’s 10-yard touchdown pass to John Taylor in Super Bowl XXIII (Jan. 22, 1989); Steve Young’s game-winning 49-yard run against the Vikings (Oct. 30, 1988); and John Brodie’s 61-yard TD pass to Jimmy Thomas (Sept. 27, 1970). |
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
Do you have audio clips or recordings of Lon Simmons
broadcasting with the Giants, A’s or 49ers, or
doing his daily sports report on 560/KSFO?
PLEASE CLICK THE CONTACT LINK AT THE
TOP OF THIS PAGE AND LET US KNOW!
I’ve listened to Lon for many years…he and Russ Hodges calling the Giants’ games. Lon calling the 49er games as only he could. He also became the voice of the A’s. To say he’s a Bay Area legend is the understatement of the century. He IS Bay Area sports. I feel privileged to have listened to his golden voice for so many years. RIP Lon.
I couldn’t find your contact link but I have several highlights of Lon Simmons and Russ Hodges that I would tape every morning from the Jim Lang and the Morning Gang show on KSFO. Included is a classic moment when Morganna the Stripper ran onto the field just prior to a Giants-Cubs game and the give-and-take between Hodges and Simmons had to be heard to be appreciated. Also have the full feature of Mays hit 3,000 including the in-game interview done with Simmons and Mays in dugout while game was still in progress. Also have the entire Hodges interview with KSFO after announcing his retirement plus many game highlights…
I loved Lon is there a place I could hear 1977 49ers monday night game vs cowboys?
Hearing Lon Simmons familiar voice throughout the years brought comfort and peace to my heart. He was always insightful and he had a great sense of humor. Listening to some of the clips made me realize he’s better than 90% of the broadcasters out there today.
You just knew he loved the Giants like you did.
My favorite memory is one day I came home in the evening and turned on my radio and the Giants were at Candlestick in the bottom of the ninth against the Dodgers.
I forgot they were on and I felt bad for missing the whole game when I heard Mr. Simmons say, “2 out in the bottom of the ninth; game tied and McCovey’s at the plate. ”
I heard a loud crack of the ball hitting the bat; the Giants fans screaming and Lon calling McCovey’s game winning homer.
It still makes me smile today.