Sad news on Opening Day, as legendary Bay Area sports broadcaster Lon Simmons has passed away at the age of 91.

In a statement, San Francisco Giants President and CEO Larry Baer said, "Hearing his broadcasts ignited my and thousands of others' passion for Giants baseball. He will be deeply missed by all of us."

Simmons career in broadcasting Bay Area sports began with the San Francisco 49ers in 1957, and just a year later he teamed up with fellow legend Russ Hodges to broadcast Giants games when the team moved west. His most famous call came during a 1964 NFL game between the Vikings and 49ers, where Viking defensive end Jim Marshall ran the ball into his own endzone for a safety:


"Marshall is running the wrong way!"

His career continued all the way through 2002, including a stint across the Bay with the Oakland A's. Along the way, he also was the voice of Willie Mays' 600th home run, the heartbreaking 1962 World Series, and Joe Montana's game-winning drive in Super Bowl XXIII. His signature home run call was, "Tell it goodbye!"

Simmons was enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame in 2004 as the Ford C. Frick Award Winner, the award bestowed upon baseball broadcasters for their "major contributions to baseball."

In recent years Simmons had been battling various health ailments and moved home to the Bay Area from Hawaii in order to be close with family. He told the Chronicle that the Giants' recent run of success helped him persevere. "Instead of thinking about myself, I was thinking about them," he said.