Roy Simmons, Jr.
| Sport(s) | Lacrosse |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born | August 6, 1935 |
| Playing career | |
| 1955–1958 | Syracuse |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1959–1970 | Syracuse (freshmen) |
| 1971–1998 | Syracuse |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 290–96 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
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| Awards | |
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As coach:
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As coach:
Roy D. Simmons Jr. (born August 6, 1935) is a former American lacrosse coach who was the head coach of the Syracuse Orange men's lacrosse team from 1971 to 1998. Simmons' teams won the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Men's Lacrosse Championship six times (one was later vacated), and appeared in the national semifinals 16 consecutive seasons. He won the F. Morris Touchstone Award for the coach of the year in NCAA men's lacrosse in 1980, and was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1991.
Simmons's father, Roy Simmons Sr., was the coach of Syracuse's men's lacrosse team for 39 seasons; he was a 1964 National Lacrosse Hall of Fame inductee. According to Simmons Jr., during his early years he was a mascot for his father's teams, and was a regular in the team's locker room. He was also interested in boxing, and Simmons Sr. referred to him as "Slugger". Simmons Jr. attended Kimball Union Academy, playing on the school's lacrosse team for three seasons. Beginning in 1955, Simmons Jr. went to Syracuse University, playing on the lacrosse team coached by his father. In 1957, the Orange posted an undefeated record; Simmons Jr. trailed only Jim Brown among the team's top scorers, and was named an honorable mention All-American. The Orange finished second in the end-of-season national rankings, behind Johns Hopkins. He repeated as an honorable mention All-American selection the next season, when he served as captain for Syracuse.
In 1959, Simmons graduated from Syracuse with a Bachelor of Science in sculpture and immediately joined his father's staff as coach of the freshman lacrosse team. Twelve years later, he succeeded his father as head coach of the varsity team. Early in his head coaching career, the program faced budget limitations and was unsuccessful, with losing records in three straight seasons. In 1974, it had a 2–9 win–loss record, and Simmons once fielded two goaltenders during a game against Cornell. Eventually, he received increased support in the form of scholarships and focused his recruiting efforts on central New York-based high school players. In addition, Simmons had numerous players from the Iroquois tribe. Previously, he had relied on local Native Americans and ex-members of the Syracuse Orange football team to form the basis of his rosters. Syracuse reached the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 1979. In 1980, the Orange reached the semifinals of the NCAA Tournament before losing to Johns Hopkins, their furthest advancement in the event to that point under the leadership of Simmons. Simmons was named the coach of the year in Division I men's lacrosse, claiming the F. Morris Touchstone Award.
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