Floyd Simmons

American athlete and actor

For the American football player, see Floyd Simmons (American football).

Floyd Simmons

Personal information

Born| April 10, 1923
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.
Died| April 1, 2008(2008-04-01) (aged 84)
Charlotte, North Carolina, U.S.

Medal record

Men's athletics
Representing the  United States
Olympic Games
|  1948 London | Decathlon
|  1952 Helsinki | Decathlon

Floyd Macon Simmons (April 10, 1923 - April 1, 2008) was an American athlete and actor who competed mainly in the Olympics decathlon in 1948 and 1952 winning bronze at both Olympic Games.[1] He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina.

## Biography

[edit]

Born and raised in Charlotte, North Carolina, Simmons was the son of a builder and former football coach of Davidson College. Nicknamed "Chunk" by his mother as he was her "little chunk of love". [1] Simmons played football for Central High School in Charlotte where he graduated in 1942.[2]

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. He received a purple heart merit award for his actions with the division.

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.

> I chose 10 events and not just one pigeonhole, I didn’t want to do just high hurdles or the shot. I wanted to do it all. I suppose I still do.[3]

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[4] and was signed to play Mr. Roberts in a Joshua Logan television series of the same name that was unmade.[5]

Simmons continued to compete in Masters athletics into his 80s. He died in Charlotte, North Carolina at the age of 84.

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Floyd Simmons. olympics.com. Retrieved December 27, 2023.
2. ^ "Redirecting to Google Groups". groups.google.com.
3. ^ "ncpreptrack.org - ncpreptrack Resources and Information".
4. ^ "Watusi (1959) - Notes - TCM.com". Archived from the original on 2015-05-31.
5. ^ p.11 Corsicana Daily Sun 26 December 1957

## External links

[edit]

* Floyd Simmons at IMDb
* Floyd Simmons Obituary

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1948 USA Olympic track and field team

Qualification|

* 1948 United States Olympic trials (track and field)

Men's track
and road athletes|

* Dick Ault
* Herb Barten
* Dave Bolen
* Cliff Bourland
* Bob Chambers
* Roy Cochran
* Ernest Crosbie
* John Deni
* Harrison Dillard
* Craig Dixon
* Clem Eischen
* Barney Ewell
* Don Gehrmann
* Herman Goffberg
* George Guida
* Art Harnden
* Johnny Kelley
* Jeff Kirk
* Henry Laskau
* Ollie Manninen
* Bob McMillen
* Eddie O'Toole
* Whitey Overton
* Mel Patton
* Bill Porter
* Clarence Robison
* Browning Ross
* Clyde Scott
* Fred Sharaga
* Roland Sink
* Curt Stone
* Jerry Thompson
* Ted Vogel
* Ernest Weber
* Adolf Weinacker
* Mal Whitfield
* Fred Wilt
* Lorenzo Wright (r)

Men's field athletes|

* Bill Albans
* Bob Beckus
* Bob Bennett
* Martin Biles
* Bill Burton
* Jim Delaney
* Herb Douglas
* Henry Dreyer
* Dwight Eddleman
* Samuel Felton
* Vic Frank
* Jim Fuchs
* Fortune Gordien
* Erkki Koutonen
* Bob Likins
* Bob Mathias
* Vern McGrew
* Irving Mondschein
* Boo Morcom
* Bob Richards
* Steve Seymour
* Floyd Simmons
* Guinn Smith
* George Stanich
* Willie Steele
* Wilbur Thompson
* Lorenzo Wright

Women's track athletes|

* Mae Faggs
* Nell Jackson
* Theresa Manuel
* Audrey Patterson
* Bernice Robinson
* Mabel Walker
* Jean Walraven
* Lillian Young

Women's field athletes|

* Alice Coachman
* Dorothy Dodson
* Frances Kaszubski
* Theresa Manuel
* Bernice Robinson
* Emma Reed
* Jean Walraven
* Lillian Young

Coaches|

* Dean Cromwell (men's head coach)
* Emmett Brunson (men's assistant coach)
* Ward Haylett (men's assistant coach)
* Tom Jones (men's assistant coach)
* Emil Von Elling (men's assistant coach)
* Fred Travalena (road event coach)
* Catherine Meyer (women's coach)

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1952 USA Olympic track and field team

Men's track
and road athletes|

* Bill Ashenfelter
* Horace Ashenfelter
* Thane Baker
* Art Barnard
* John Barnes
* Roland Blackmon
* Art Bragg
* Charlie Capozzoli
* Gene Cole
* Ted Corbitt
* Jack Davis
* John Deni
* Harrison Dillard
* Warren Druetzler
* Victor Dyrgall
* James Gathers
* Tom Jones
* Price King
* Henry Laskau
* Ollie Matson
* Bob McMillen
* Javier Montez
* Charles Moore
* Reggie Pearman
* Lindy Remigino
* Browning Ross
* Wes Santee
* Leo Sjogren
* Dean Smith
* Andy Stanfield
* Curt Stone
* Adolf Weinacker
* Mal Whitfield
* Fred Wilt
* Lee Yoder

Men's field athletes|

* Walter Ashbaugh
* Bob Backus
* Arnold Betton
* Jerome Biffle
* George Brown
* Milt Campbell
* Walt Davis
* Jim Dillion
* Marty Engel
* Samuel Felton
* Jim Fuchs
* Jim Gerhardt
* Fortune Gordien
* Meredith Gourdine
* Bud Held
* Darrow Hooper
* Sim Iness
* Don Laz
* Bob Mathias
* George Mattos
* Bill Miller
* Parry O'Brien
* Bob Richards
* George Shaw
* Floyd Simmons
* Ken Wiesner
* Cy Young

Women's track athletes|

* Constance Darnowski
* Dolores Dwyer
* Mae Faggs
* Catherine Hardy
* Barbara Jones (r)
* Janet Moreau

Women's field athletes|

* Janet Dicks
* Mabel Landry
* Marjorie Larney

Coaches|

* Brutus Hamilton (men's head coach)
* Clyde Littlefield (men's assistant coach)
* Larry Snyder (men's assistant coach)
* Charles Werner (men's assistant coach)
* Lucile Wilson (women's manager-coach)

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* United States

* [2] DigitalNC, Interview, Floyd Simmons https://lib.digitalnc.org/record/24744 https://goldmine.charlotte.edu/index/render/pid/uncc:li Interview, Floyd Simmons

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