Homegrown FAMU coach brings solid resume

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TALLAHASSEE, Florida – Willie Simmons grew up just 25 miles from Florida A&M’s Bragg Memorial Stadium. The Quincy native spent plenty Saturdays watching the Rattlers, which helped to inspire a boy who went on to play football at Clemson and The Citadel before he went into coaching.

Simmons is home again – bringing an up-tempo, option attack to the Rattlers as their first-year head coach. The 37-year-old Simmons built a resume as an assistant in stops at Middle Tennessee and Alcorn State before taking over as the head coach at Prairie View, where he went 21-11 in three seasons (including 19-6 in conference play).

When FAMU administrators called in December, the offer was too good to pass up.

“It comes full circle,” Simmons said. “When I left Quincy 20 years ago, I would have never dreamed that I would be back in this capacity. The Lord has been really good to me and my family. To be able to come back to the place where it all started, the place where I grew up watching Saturday afternoon football games, I’m just blessed at the opportunity.”

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