Born and raised in
Charlotte, North Carolina, Simmons was the son of a builder and former football coach of
Davidson College. He was nicknamed "Chunk" by his mother as he was her "little chunk of love". Simmons played football and ran track for
Central High School in Charlotte, where he graduated in 1942. In track, he was a two-time
NCHSAA state champion in the 120 yard hurdles, winning in 1941 and 1942. In college, Simmons was an
All-American hurdler for the
North Carolina Tar Heels track and field team, qualifying for the finals in the
220 yards hurdles at the
1946 NCAA track and field championships. During
World War II he served with the
10th Mountain Division, which he personally requested to be a part of. He was wounded in Italy and received a
Purple Heart award. He competed for the United States in the
1948 Summer Olympics held in
London,
England in the decathlon where he won the bronze medal. He repeated this feat four years later in the
1952 Summer Olympics held in
Helsinki,
Finland, where he again won the bronze medal. In addition to competing in sports Simmons was contracted to
Universal Pictures alongside
Rock Hudson and
John Gavin. Simmons guest starred in many television shows and appeared in over a dozen films most memorably in
South Pacific (1958). He was considered for the role of Brick in the film version of
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. as
Allan Quatermain in
Watusi and was signed to play
Mr. Roberts in a
Joshua Logan television series of the same name that was unmade. Simmons continued to compete in
Masters athletics into his 80s. He died on April 1, 2008, in Charlotte, North Carolina, at the age of 84. ==Notes==