Dan Simmons, a beloved former equipment manager for the New Orleans Saints, died Friday in his hometown of St. Louis, team officials confirmed Friday. He was 78.
Simmons, affectionately known as “Chief,” was a beloved figure in the organization, serving as the club’s head equipment manager for 42 years before retiring in 2014. He served as the alumni/legends development coordinator in the organization for multiple years after his retirement.
When he retired, Simmons was the longest-tenured employee in the history of the organization and the first to surpass the four-decade milestone in years of service.
“Dan was the best, just the very best,” former Saints quarterback Archie Manning said. “He was so kind and sweet and humble. He just did his job and never sought attention. If everyone with the Saints had done their jobs as well as Chief did when I played, we would have won Super Bowls.”
Manning said he received numerous text messages and phone calls from former Saints players on Friday after news of Simmons’ death spread.
“Everyone loved Chief,” Manning said. “You never heard anyone say a bad word about him.”
Simmons began working for the Saints as the equipment manager on April 1, 1973. He worked a total of 858 preseason, regular-season and postseason games and was proud to be a member of each of the franchise's 10 playoff teams, including the Saints' Super Bowl XLIV championship team.
In 2022, Simmons was part of the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s inaugural "Awards of Excellence" class, honoring the achievements of assistant coaches and support staff.
In 2015, he was recognized by his colleagues from all 32 NFL clubs with the National Football League equipment managers’ lifetime achievement award.
.@SeanPayton gave equip. manager Dan "Chief" Simmons a game ball. Chief is retiring after 42 years with the #Saints! pic.twitter.com/DPXHLKB0GR
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) December 29, 2014
In 2010, Simmons and longtime assistant equipment manager Glenn “Silky” Powell were honored by the Saints Hall of Fame with the Joe Gemelli Fleur-De-Lis Award, the hall’s annual honor recognizing contribution to the franchise.
Simmons' father, Bill, was the equipment manager of the St. Louis Cardinals football team for 22 years, with Dan assisting him on a full-time basis from 1971-72 before coming to New Orleans.
A graduate of Meramec College in St. Louis, Simmons was also a Vietnam veteran who served four years in the U.S. Navy. He is survived by his wife, Elaine, and their three children, Amy, Tony and Tracy.