The New Orleans Saints are mourning the loss of longtime equipment manager Dan Simmons after his death at the age of 78 last week.
Simmons, who was affectionately known as ‘Chief’ in New Orleans, spent more than half a century with the Saints after first joining as their head equipment manager back in 1973.
After holding down that role for a staggering 42 years, the St. Louis native and Vietnam veteran retired in 2014 and took on a new position as an alumni and legends coordinator, which he remained in up until his passing on Friday.
‘Our thoughts are with Elaine and the Simmons family as we have suffered a significant loss with the passing of Dan,’ the Saints said in a statement. ‘He played an integral role in the daily operations of the equipment room and locker room.
‘Dan was a proud New Orleans Saint and touched the lives of thousands of players, coaches and staff members throughout his tenure, making significant contributions to this franchise. He will be greatly missed.’
During over 50 years with the team, Simmons was on hand for a total of 858 Saints preseason and NFL fixtures.
The New Orleans Saints are mourning the loss of longtime equipment manager Dan Simmons
Simmons, who spent over 50 years with the team, passed away at the age of 78 on Friday
He witnessed a Super Bowl triumph while serving as head equipment manager in 2009, when Sean Payton’s men defeated the Indianapolis Colts in Florida to clinch the franchise’s first and only championship.
In 2010, four years before he retired, Simmons was inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame. He and his staff also won the Whitey Zimmerman Memorial Award, annually given to the NFL equipment staff that exceeds the usual demands to the position, on two occasions.
In 2015, the Saints hero even received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the NFL Equipment Managers meeting.
‘Dan was THE best,’ New Orleans legend Archie Manning said. ‘If I was going to sum up Dan, it was kindness. Such a humble, kind person.
‘If everybody in the Saints organization could have done their job like Dan, we would have won a lot more championships.’
Former offensive tackle Stan Brock, who considered Simmons a father figure after forming a close bond in New Orleans, said: ‘I loved that guy. When I got inducted into the Saints Hall of Fame, that’s who I wanted, Dan and (former trainer) Dean Kleinschmidt were my presenters. He meant a lot to a lot of people, but really a lot to me.
‘He cared so much about us as players. He took great pride at being with the Saints and doing things the right way.
‘We were all like little kids. He played a lot of different roles. He was a friend and a father. He’d kick you in the a** when you needed it and pat you on the back when you needed that, too.’
