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Yesterday, though, should be remembered as the day a pioneer in sports broadcasting was loss. Chester “Chet” Simmons, the first president of ESPN in 1979 and the USFL in 1982, is one of a select few to which we can attribute the way we watch and report sports today.

Because of Simmons, sports was no longer a part of the nightly news, it became its own brand, style and feel. He helped to create a niche for guys like me who desire to do intelligent and grounded sports journalism and broadcasting. Such jobs were scarce, especially in sports broadcasting before ESPN, but with Simmons at the helm change was inevitable.

Simmons helped NBC secure rights to the Moscow Olympics, was the driving force behind the television show, Wide World of Sports, and for the first time evertelevised the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament and NFL Draft all in 1980. He was the principle behind arguably the greatest sports broadcasting show of all-time, Sportscenter. 24/7 sports coverage was presumed to be impossible before he did it.

He is responsible for hiring iconic anchors including Chris Berman, Greg and Bryant Gumbel, Dick Vitale, Cliff Drysdale, Dick Ensberg, Bob Ley and many other notable sports commentators. Ley, told ESPN.com “I will forever treasure the trust that Chet placed in all of us at the beginning in 1979. He brought this young network immediate expertise and credibility. His legacy is seen in his family and his grandchildren, and professionally in the foundation he laid so well and profoundly with those of us who now celebrate his life.”

For those of you under 35 with sports addictions akin to a crack head, a world with Chet Simmons is like the dopeman moving out of town. We would have been deprived us of some our favorite 10pm friends. The great sports anchors we know may not have had the role in shaping our ideas about sports on television and the many virtues they possess.

Imagine, Stuart Scott relegated to NBC Nightly News. You really think they would have let words and phrases like “BOO-YAH” or “Cool as the other side of the pillow” come out of his mouth when describing President Obama? Or Neil Everett mention a shot of whiskey every time Albert Pujols, Ryan Howard, or Vladimir Guerrero hit a homerun? What if Linda Cohn and Kenny Mayne actually had to compose a story completely devoid of humor? Disastrous stuff, I know.

The sports world is forever changed for the better because of Simmons influence.

Before ESPN, Simmons functioned president of NBC Sports and was involved in yet another sports milestone, the creation of instant replay.

From 1957-1985, Simmons was to sports broadcasting, what William Randolph Hearst was to the newspaper industry. He remained innovative, open to all types of ideas and constantly kept the organization signing his check on the cutting edge. He died of natural causes Thursday, March 25, 2010 at his home in Atlanta, Georgia. He was 81.