Charles Simmons (American football)

Charles Wayne Simmons (September 15, 1931 – February 23, 2020) was an American football coach and college athletics administrator. He served as the head football coach at Kilgore College in Kilgore, Texas from 1967 to 1975 and Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas from 1976 to 1981. Simmons was also the athletic director at Stephen F. Austin during the same years.

A native of Nacogdoches, Simmons graduated from Nacogdoches High School. He then played football at Del Mar College in Corpus Christi, Texas and Stephen F. Austin. After graduating from Stephen F. Austin in 1957, Simmons spent four years as an assistant footfall coach at Carthage High School in Carthage, Texas. He was the head football coach at Leverett's Chapel High School in 1961 and DeKalb High School (TX) of De Kalb, Texas in 1962. Simmons returned to Stephen F. Austin in 1963 and worked as offensive line coach for four seasons under Shorty Hughes. He succeeded Boyd Converse as head football coach at Kilgore in 1967.^[1] Simmons led Kilgore to three Texas Junior College Football Federation (TJCFF) titles, in 1968, 1970, 1975.^[2]

Simmons was named Lone Star Conference (LSC) Coach of the Year in 1979 after leading Stephen F. Austin and an 8–3 record a title for second place in the conference. He was fired from his post at head football coach and athletic director following the 1981 season.^[3]

Simmons died on February 23, 2020, at his home in Nacogdoches.^[4]