Darrin Simmons
Encyclopedia
Darrin Simmons is a coach
in American football
.
He was born April 9, 1973, in Elkhart, Kansas
. Currently he is in his fourth season as the Cincinnati Bengals
(National Football League
) special teams coach. Under his tutelage, in the 2005 season, the Cincinnati Bengals got record-breaking performances from their kicking specialists and kickoff returner, plus Top-10 work from the kickoff
return and kickoff coverage teams.
Simmons’s biggest individual success story has been placekicker
Shayne Graham
. Simmons faced a challenge in 2003, when Graham joined the Bengals on waivers just a week before the regular-season opener and was moved into the No. 1 job. But Simmons has helped guide Graham to three of the finest kicking seasons in Bengals history. In 2005, Graham became the first Bengals kicker to make the Pro Bowl. He broke his own team record with 131 points; broke a record (he previously had shared) by making 14 straight field goals (streak is still active entering 2006); and he qualified as the most accurate FG kicker in club history (87.5 percent).
Second-year punter
Kyle Larson
, originally a Bengals college free agent signee under Simmons, averaged 43.2 yards per kick in 2005. It was the club’s best average since 1998, and the punt team’s 35.6-yard net average was also the Bengals’ best since 1998. Larson set a team record with a 75-yard punt at Jacksonville, breaking the previous mark of 73 by Brad Costello.
Rookie kickoff returner Tab Perry
set Bengals season records for total returns (64) and KOR yards (1562) in 2005. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
for his performance Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh, which included a 94-yard KOR. The 2005 Bengals finished ninth in the NFL in team KOR average (23.6) and finished seventh in kickoff coverage (21.0).
In 2003, Simmons’s first Bengals season, his return and coverage units provided a major boost in the punting game. Cincinnati finished 12th in punt return average and 11th in opponents punt return average, following a 2002 season in which the team had finished 31st in returns and 32nd in coverage.
In 2004, Bengals coverage and return teams ranked in the NFL’s top half in three of four areas, topped by a fifth-ranked kickoff coverage team allowing 19.7 yards per return.
Simmons began his NFL coaching career in 1998 on the same Baltimore Ravens staff as Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis
. Simmons was assistant special teams coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Ravens in 1998, and he held that same role for the Carolina Panthers
from 1999–2002.
A former college punter
himself, Simmons played an integral role at Carolina in the continued development of Todd Sauerbrun
as one of the NFL’s top punters.
Carolina ranked fourth in the NFL in 2002 in net punting average (37.5), and the Panthers special units led the league in kickoff coverage with only 18.5 yards allowed per return.
to a Top-10 national ranking and to an Aloha Bowl
victory over UCLA. Also as a senior at KU, he won honors as an Academic All-American.
Prior to playing for KU, Simmons was a punter and QB for Dodge City Community College
. In 1992 at Dodge City, he led the nation’s junior colleges in punting and was a first-team NJCAA All-American.
Simmons began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas
in 1996. He moved to the University of Minnesota
in 1997 before joining the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens
in 1998.
1993–95: Punter, University of Kansas.
1996: Graduate assistant coach, University of Kansas.
1997: Assistant coach (AC), University of Minnesota.
1998: AC, Baltimore Ravens. 1999–2002: AC, Carolina Panthers.
2003–present: AC, Bengals.
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
in American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
.
He was born April 9, 1973, in Elkhart, Kansas
Elkhart, Kansas
Elkhart is a city in and the county seat of Morton County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 2,205.-Geography:Elkhart is located at...
. Currently he is in his fourth season as the Cincinnati Bengals
Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional football team based in Cincinnati, Ohio. They are members of the AFC's North Division in the National Football League . The Bengals began play in 1968 as an expansion team in the American Football League , and joined the NFL in 1970 in the AFL-NFL...
(National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
) special teams coach. Under his tutelage, in the 2005 season, the Cincinnati Bengals got record-breaking performances from their kicking specialists and kickoff returner, plus Top-10 work from the kickoff
Kickoff (American football)
A kickoff is a method of starting a drive in American football and Canadian football. Typically, a kickoff consists of one team – the "kicking team" – kicking the ball to the opposing team – the "receiving team"...
return and kickoff coverage teams.
Simmons’s biggest individual success story has been placekicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Shayne Graham
Shayne Graham
Michael Shayne Graham is an American football placekicker. He was signed by the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent in 2000, and most recently played with the New England Patriots...
. Simmons faced a challenge in 2003, when Graham joined the Bengals on waivers just a week before the regular-season opener and was moved into the No. 1 job. But Simmons has helped guide Graham to three of the finest kicking seasons in Bengals history. In 2005, Graham became the first Bengals kicker to make the Pro Bowl. He broke his own team record with 131 points; broke a record (he previously had shared) by making 14 straight field goals (streak is still active entering 2006); and he qualified as the most accurate FG kicker in club history (87.5 percent).
Second-year punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson
Kyle Larson is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was signed by the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Nebraska.-Early years:...
, originally a Bengals college free agent signee under Simmons, averaged 43.2 yards per kick in 2005. It was the club’s best average since 1998, and the punt team’s 35.6-yard net average was also the Bengals’ best since 1998. Larson set a team record with a 75-yard punt at Jacksonville, breaking the previous mark of 73 by Brad Costello.
Rookie kickoff returner Tab Perry
Tab Perry
Tab Wilson Perry is an American football wide receiver for the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. He was drafted by the Cincinnati Bengals in the sixth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
set Bengals season records for total returns (64) and KOR yards (1562) in 2005. He was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Player of the Week
The Player of the Week award is a Major League Baseball award named by each of the American and National Leagues each week of the regular season...
for his performance Dec. 4 at Pittsburgh, which included a 94-yard KOR. The 2005 Bengals finished ninth in the NFL in team KOR average (23.6) and finished seventh in kickoff coverage (21.0).
In 2003, Simmons’s first Bengals season, his return and coverage units provided a major boost in the punting game. Cincinnati finished 12th in punt return average and 11th in opponents punt return average, following a 2002 season in which the team had finished 31st in returns and 32nd in coverage.
In 2004, Bengals coverage and return teams ranked in the NFL’s top half in three of four areas, topped by a fifth-ranked kickoff coverage team allowing 19.7 yards per return.
Simmons began his NFL coaching career in 1998 on the same Baltimore Ravens staff as Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis
Marvin Lewis
Marvin Ronald Lewis is the head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League, a position he has held since January 14, 2003...
. Simmons was assistant special teams coach and assistant strength and conditioning coach for the Ravens in 1998, and he held that same role for the Carolina Panthers
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. They are currently members of the South Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League . The Panthers, along with the Jacksonville Jaguars, joined the NFL as expansion...
from 1999–2002.
A former college punter
Punter (football position)
A punter in American or Canadian football is a special teams player who receives the snapped ball directly from the line of scrimmage and then punts the football to the opposing team so as to limit any field position advantage. This generally happens on a fourth down in American football and a...
himself, Simmons played an integral role at Carolina in the continued development of Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Sauerbrun
Todd Scott Sauerbrun is an American football punter who is currently a free agent. He was originally drafted by the Chicago Bears in the second round of the 1995 NFL Draft...
as one of the NFL’s top punters.
Carolina ranked fourth in the NFL in 2002 in net punting average (37.5), and the Panthers special units led the league in kickoff coverage with only 18.5 yards allowed per return.
College
Simmons excelled while punting for the University of Kansas (KU) from 1993–95, earning All-Big Eight honors his final year. As a senior, he helped the JayhawksKansas Jayhawks
The sports teams at the University of Kansas are known as the Jayhawks. They are one of three schools in the state of Kansas that participate in NCAA Division I. The Jayhawks are also a member of the Big 12 Conference...
to a Top-10 national ranking and to an Aloha Bowl
Aloha Bowl
The Aloha Bowl was a National Collegiate Athletic Association Football Bowl Subdivision college football bowl game played in Honolulu, Hawaii at Aloha Stadium. With the exception of the 1983-86 playings, the Aloha Bowl was traditionally played on Christmas morning in Honolulu. For most of its...
victory over UCLA. Also as a senior at KU, he won honors as an Academic All-American.
Prior to playing for KU, Simmons was a punter and QB for Dodge City Community College
Dodge City Community College
Dodge City Community College is located on the Central High Plains in Ford County, southwest Kansas.-Campus:For 22 years, the College was located on the third floor of the Senior High School Building at 1601 First Avenue. By 1957, it had grown large enough to require a move to a different...
. In 1992 at Dodge City, he led the nation’s junior colleges in punting and was a first-team NJCAA All-American.
Simmons began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at the University of Kansas
University of Kansas
The University of Kansas is a public research university and the largest university in the state of Kansas. KU campuses are located in Lawrence, Wichita, Overland Park, and Kansas City, Kansas with the main campus being located in Lawrence on Mount Oread, the highest point in Lawrence. The...
in 1996. He moved to the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1997 before joining the NFL with the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
in 1998.
Private life
Simmons earned a degree in sports management from the University of Kansas in 1996. He graduated from Elkhart High School in 1991. He and his wife, Rhonda, have one daughter and two sons.Playing and coaching history
1991–92 Played quarterback and punter at Dodge City Community College.1993–95: Punter, University of Kansas.
1996: Graduate assistant coach, University of Kansas.
1997: Assistant coach (AC), University of Minnesota.
1998: AC, Baltimore Ravens. 1999–2002: AC, Carolina Panthers.
2003–present: AC, Bengals.