Hall Of Fame Broadcaster Lon Simmons Dies At 91; Beloved Voice Of Giants, 49ers, A's
SAN FRANCISCO (CBS SF) -- Hall of Fame sports broadcaster Lon Simmons, whose voice was known and loved by generations of Giants, 49ers and A's fans, has died at the age of 91.
The San Francisco Giants released a statement Sunday, saying the Bay Area had "lost a true gentleman this morning."
Simmons' voice was synonymous with the Giants and 49ers in a career that spanned five decades. Simmons also spent 15 years as a broadcaster for the Oakland A's between 1981 and 1995, calling the the final 3 outs of the A's 1989 World Series win over the Giants.]
In a statement, Giants CEO Larry Baer said that his "earliest Giants memories were listening to Lon."
"Hearing his broadcasts ignited me and thousands of others' passion for Giants baseball," said Baer. "He will be deeply missed by all of us."
Lon was known for his booming voice, his quick wit and self-deprecating sense of humor, and his signature home run call: "You can tell it goodbye!" Perhaps no call reflected Simmons' barely-controlled fervor during a big moment on the field than his description of Steve Young's touchdown run in 1998.
He was a member of the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame as the 2004 Ford C. Frick Award winner and a member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame.
Bay Area broadcasters, sportswriters and fans have been offering their remembrances of the man whose voice they associate with cherished childhood memories of hearing Simmons' play-by-play over the radio.
