Dan Simmons, who spent greater than 4 a long time because the New Orleans Saints gear supervisor, died on Friday, the workforce confirmed. He was 78.
Simmons was in St. Louis, his hometown, on the time of his passing.
Simmons, who was affectionately known as “Chief,” was a cherished member of the group and oversaw the workforce’s gear procedures for 42 years. He retired in 2014. Simmons additionally spent a decade because the Saints alumni and legends coordinator.
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(Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports activities)
Upon his retirement, Simmons grew to become the longest-tenured worker in Saints historical past.
Saints Proprietor Gayle Benson launched a press release on behalf of your complete group shortly after the passing of Simmons.
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“Our ideas are with Elaine and the Simmons household as we’ve got suffered a big loss with the passing of Dan. He performed an integral function within the each day operations of the gear room and locker room,” the statement reads.
“Dan was a proud New Orleans Saint and touched the lives of 1000’s of gamers, coaches and employees members all through his tenure, making important contributions to this franchise. He can be drastically missed.”
Simmons served within the Navy and was a Vietnam veteran.
(Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Photos)
Former Saints quarterback Archie Manning described Simmons as “the easiest”
“Dan was the very best, simply the easiest,” Manning mentioned in a press release obtained by The Times-Picayune. “He was so variety and candy and humble. He simply did his job and by no means sought consideration. If everybody with the Saints had performed their jobs in addition to Chief did after I performed, we’d have received Tremendous Bowls.”
Caesars Superdome (AP Photograph/Tyler Kaufman)
Simmons was readily available for a mixed 858 Saints preseason, common season and postseason video games throughout his time because the workforce’s head gear supervisor.
He additionally held the place through the 2009 season when New Orleans defeated the Indianapolis Colts to win the primary Tremendous Bowl title in franchise historical past.
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Simmons is survived by his spouse, Elaine, their three kids and 4 grandchildren.
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