University of North Carolina Athletics
Floyd Simmons Inducted Into N.C. High School TF/XC Hall Of Fame
January 7, 2026 | Track & Field
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. - Two-time Olympic decathlon bronze medalist Floyd "Chunk" Simmons was inducted into the North Carolina High School Track & Field and Cross Country Hall of Fame on Tuesday, January 6.
He is the seventh University of North Carolina track star to be elected to the Hall of Fame after Jim Beatty (2020), Joan Nesbitt (2020), Karen Godlock (2020), DeAnne Davis (2020), Tony Waldrop (2022), and Earl V. Patterson (2023).
The Central High School graduate originally came to Carolina to play football as a tailback, but he switched to fullback as Tar Heel legend, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice held down the tailback position.
Simmons won the bronze medal in the decathlon as the United States claimed the gold and bronze in the 1948 London Olympics. Simmons followed up his Bronze with another bronze medalist performance during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, as the US swept the competition for the "World's Greatest Athlete."
Simmons was also a World War II veteran and received both the Purple Heart and Battle Stars while serving in the 10th Mountain Division.
Simmons had a seven-year career in film and stunt work (1956-63), first with Universal and then with MGM. He played Commander Harbison, USN, in the 1958 musical "South Pacific," which prompted him to move to Tahiti for a brief stint. He moved back to Charlotte, where he was a professional artist and photographer.
Simmons passed away in April of 2008 in Charlotte.
The induction ceremony will be Jan. 31 in Winston-Salem during the Mondo Elite High School Invitational at the JDL Fast Track. Each elected class has been honored at the meet.
He is the seventh University of North Carolina track star to be elected to the Hall of Fame after Jim Beatty (2020), Joan Nesbitt (2020), Karen Godlock (2020), DeAnne Davis (2020), Tony Waldrop (2022), and Earl V. Patterson (2023).
The Central High School graduate originally came to Carolina to play football as a tailback, but he switched to fullback as Tar Heel legend, Charlie "Choo Choo" Justice held down the tailback position.
Simmons won the bronze medal in the decathlon as the United States claimed the gold and bronze in the 1948 London Olympics. Simmons followed up his Bronze with another bronze medalist performance during the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki, as the US swept the competition for the "World's Greatest Athlete."
Simmons was also a World War II veteran and received both the Purple Heart and Battle Stars while serving in the 10th Mountain Division.
Simmons had a seven-year career in film and stunt work (1956-63), first with Universal and then with MGM. He played Commander Harbison, USN, in the 1958 musical "South Pacific," which prompted him to move to Tahiti for a brief stint. He moved back to Charlotte, where he was a professional artist and photographer.
Simmons passed away in April of 2008 in Charlotte.
The induction ceremony will be Jan. 31 in Winston-Salem during the Mondo Elite High School Invitational at the JDL Fast Track. Each elected class has been honored at the meet.
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