Thursday, 07 May 2026

Lon Simmons

Contest: The US Athletic Hall of Fame - Commentators 2026
Embed from Getty Images
Sport(s): Baseball, Football, and Basketball
Statistics & Accolades: Ford C. Frick Award
Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame
Lon Simmons arrived in San Francisco in 1957 and would become the color man and, a year later, the play-by-play man for the San Francisco 49ers. For 26 years, he was their voice, though the most famous call he made was Jim Marshall’s wrong-way play for a touchdown. Even though he was closely associated with football, his laid-back and self-depricating style was better suited to baseball.

Save for five seasons, from 1958 to 2002, Simmons was calling games for either the San Francisco Giants or Oakland Athletics, and fans delighted when he bellowed “Tell it goodbye” when his respective club smacked a home run. Over his career, Simmons was able to call a World Series and Super Bowl Championship in his beloved Bay Area.

We are proud to nominate Lon Simmons for the United States Athletic Hall of Fame.