Jerome Simpson
Encyclopedia
Jerome Louis Simpson is an American football
wide receiver
for the Cincinnati Bengals
of the National Football League
. He was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
. He played college football
and participated in track and field
at Coastal Carolina
.
. As a receiver in football, Simpson was an all-state selection as he led the Rams to consecutive state titles. In his senior season, Simpson won team MVP and set a championship record with 13 receptions for 133 yards and also added a 62-yard touchdown pass. He missed three games his final season, but still managed to total 96 receptions for 1,324 yards and 14 touchdowns, becoming the team's all-time receptions leader. He also played in the North Carolina
Shrine Bowl and in the East-West annual game.
In basketball, Simpson led the Rams to their first state basketball championship since 1995. As a senior, he scored 19 points in the title game and winning team MVP honors. He also ran on the state champion 4x400-meter relay team with a time of 3:21 in track.
in 2004 and started all 11 games as a true freshman at receiver. In the season opener against Morehead State, Simpson recorded four catches for 59 yards and two scores in his collegiate debut. The following game, against Davidson
, Simpson totaled 89 yards on six receptions for a touchdown. Against Charleston, Simpson recorded his first ever 100-yard receiving game. He finished the season with 26 catches for 419 yards and eight touchdowns and was honored as the Big South Conference
Freshman of the Year.
All-Star Team. He finished the season leading the team with 33 receptions for 527 yards and nine touchdowns, all single-season school records. In his best game of the season, the victory over James Madison
, Simpson set a school record with 10 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Against Savannah State, Simpson set another school-record with a 60-yard reception for a touchdown.
Simpson also was a member of the 2006 Big South Men's Championship Track and Field squad. Simpson earned All-Big South honors after finished third in the high jump and long jump, setting a new school record for high jump with 2.05 meters.
, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills
, Simpson finished his season with 61 receptions for 1,077 yards and a Big South record 16 touchdowns, all school records. Against Georgia Southern
, Simpson set a school record with 207 yards and two scores on only eight receptions. Against No. 3 Furman
, he recorded 151 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown reception. In the school's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Simpson recorded 132 yards and two touchdowns against No. 1 Appalachian State. Simpson led the Big South with five games of 100 yards receiving or more.
Simpson again competed in track and field as a junior, finished third in the NCAA Regionals in long jump and qualified for the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He was also a part of the 400-meter relay team that set a school record at the Championships.
competition. However, undoubtedly handicapped by the graduation of Thigpen, he only posted 41 receptions for 697 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, all lower than his junior totals.
in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed to a four-year contract after the start of camp, but he did not see much playing time, not even having a catch in 2009. But, due to injuries to Terrell Owens
and Chad Ochocinco, Simpson made his second career start in Week 16 of the 2010 season and had a breakout performance, catching 6 passes for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. He followed it up with 12 catches, 124 yards, and a touchdown in a game versus the Ravens to end the season with 18 receptions.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for 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...
of the 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...
. He was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2008 NFL Draft
2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
and participated in track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
at Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football
Coastal Carolina University announced in the late '90's that they would be fielding a football squad in the coming years. The Coastal Carolina Chanticleers football program played its inaugural season in 2003 on campus at Brooks Stadium. The team is coached by David Bennett, who has held the...
.
High school
Jerome Simpson participated in football, basketball, and track while attending Reidsville High SchoolReidsville High School
Reidsville High School is located in Reidsville, North Carolina, United States.- History :The school opened in 1960 as Reidsville Senior High School. In 1993, it merged with the other schools in Rockingham County, North Carolina to form Rockingham County Schools...
. As a receiver in football, Simpson was an all-state selection as he led the Rams to consecutive state titles. In his senior season, Simpson won team MVP and set a championship record with 13 receptions for 133 yards and also added a 62-yard touchdown pass. He missed three games his final season, but still managed to total 96 receptions for 1,324 yards and 14 touchdowns, becoming the team's all-time receptions leader. He also played in the North Carolina
North Carolina
North Carolina is a state located in the southeastern United States. The state borders South Carolina and Georgia to the south, Tennessee to the west and Virginia to the north. North Carolina contains 100 counties. Its capital is Raleigh, and its largest city is Charlotte...
Shrine Bowl and in the East-West annual game.
In basketball, Simpson led the Rams to their first state basketball championship since 1995. As a senior, he scored 19 points in the title game and winning team MVP honors. He also ran on the state champion 4x400-meter relay team with a time of 3:21 in track.
Freshman season
Jerome Simpson enrolled at Coastal Carolina UniversityCoastal Carolina University
Coastal Carolina University is an independent, state-supported, liberal arts university in Conway, South Carolina, USA, located eight miles west of Myrtle Beach. Founded in 1954, Coastal became an independent university in 1993. The University enrolls approximately 8,300 students on its campus...
in 2004 and started all 11 games as a true freshman at receiver. In the season opener against Morehead State, Simpson recorded four catches for 59 yards and two scores in his collegiate debut. The following game, against Davidson
Davidson
Davidson is the name of:* Davidson * Davidson Media Group* Davidson Seamount, undersea mountain southwest of Monterey, California, USA* Tyler Davidson Fountain, monument in Cincinnati, Ohio, USA...
, Simpson totaled 89 yards on six receptions for a touchdown. Against Charleston, Simpson recorded his first ever 100-yard receiving game. He finished the season with 26 catches for 419 yards and eight touchdowns and was honored as the Big South Conference
Big South Conference
The Big South Conference is a college athletic conference affiliated with the NCAA's Division I. The conference's football teams are part of the Football Championship Subdivision...
Freshman of the Year.
Sophomore season
After his breakout freshman season, Simpson only started six of the eleven games he played in as a sophomore. However, he was named second-team All-Big South and was named to the South CarolinaSouth Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
All-Star Team. He finished the season leading the team with 33 receptions for 527 yards and nine touchdowns, all single-season school records. In his best game of the season, the victory over James Madison
James Madison University
James Madison University is a public coeducational research university located in Harrisonburg, Virginia, U.S. Founded in 1908 as the State Normal and Industrial School for Women at Harrisonburg, the university has undergone four name changes before settling with James Madison University...
, Simpson set a school record with 10 receptions for 162 yards and two touchdowns. Against Savannah State, Simpson set another school-record with a 60-yard reception for a touchdown.
Simpson also was a member of the 2006 Big South Men's Championship Track and Field squad. Simpson earned All-Big South honors after finished third in the high jump and long jump, setting a new school record for high jump with 2.05 meters.
Junior season
As a junior in 2006, Simpson started in 10 of 12 games on the season, as well as earning numerous accolades. He was named first-team All-Big South, second-team All-American and South Carolina All-Star selections. Teaming with quarterback Tyler ThigpenTyler Thigpen
Tyler "Dirty Pigpen" Thigpen is an American football quarterback for the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League . Thigpen was drafted out of Coastal Carolina University in the seventh round of the 2007 NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings.Tyler Thigpen was the first quarterback to play for...
, who now plays for the Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
, Simpson finished his season with 61 receptions for 1,077 yards and a Big South record 16 touchdowns, all school records. Against Georgia Southern
Georgia Southern University
Georgia Southern University is a national public university located on a campus in Statesboro, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1906, it is part of the University System of Georgia and is the largest center of higher education in the southern half of Georgia offering 117 academic majors in a comprehensive...
, Simpson set a school record with 207 yards and two scores on only eight receptions. Against No. 3 Furman
Furman University
Furman University is a selective, private, coeducational, liberal arts college in Greenville, South Carolina, United States. Furman is one of the oldest, and more selective private institutions in South Carolina...
, he recorded 151 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning touchdown reception. In the school's first ever NCAA Tournament appearance, Simpson recorded 132 yards and two touchdowns against No. 1 Appalachian State. Simpson led the Big South with five games of 100 yards receiving or more.
Simpson again competed in track and field as a junior, finished third in the NCAA Regionals in long jump and qualified for the 2007 NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships. He was also a part of the 400-meter relay team that set a school record at the Championships.
Senior season
In his final collegiate season, 2007, Jerome Simpson broke virtually every receiving record in school history while playing in all 11 games. He also set numerous Big South records as a receiver and in track and fieldTrack and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
competition. However, undoubtedly handicapped by the graduation of Thigpen, he only posted 41 receptions for 697 yards and 11 touchdowns on the season, all lower than his junior totals.
Cincinnati Bengals
Jerome Simpson was selected in the 2nd round, 46th overall by the Cincinnati BengalsCincinnati 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...
in the 2008 NFL Draft. He was signed to a four-year contract after the start of camp, but he did not see much playing time, not even having a catch in 2009. But, due to injuries to Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens
Terrell Owens is an American football wide receiver who is currently a free agent. A six-time Pro Bowl selection, Owens has been one of the dominant receivers of his era...
and Chad Ochocinco, Simpson made his second career start in Week 16 of the 2010 season and had a breakout performance, catching 6 passes for 124 yards and 2 touchdowns. He followed it up with 12 catches, 124 yards, and a touchdown in a game versus the Ravens to end the season with 18 receptions.