Hall of Fame
Simmons became the first head coach of the Murray State women’s track and field team in 1968 and started the women’s cross country team three years later. During her 23-year tenure as head coach, she led the Racers to eight OVC titles and two runner-up finishes, was named OVC Coach of the Year six times and Kentucky Women’s Athletic Conference Coach of the Year on two occasions. Her cross country teams never finished lower than second in the OVC after the championship began in 1979.
She coached four OVC Outdoor Women’s Athletes of the Year, three OVC Indoor Women’s Athletes of the Year and two NCAA All-Americans in Stephanie Saleem (Indoor & Outdoor) and Heather Samuel (Outdoor). Samuel would go on to ultimately bring home five OVC Women’s Athlete of the Year recognitions and compete in the 1992 Olympics.
Simmons served as the women’s editor of the NCAA Men’s and Women’s Track and Field Rules book from 1983-85 and as the editor of the same publication from 1988-2004. Simmons has served on numerous NCAA committees including the NCAA rules committee at the NCAA National Cross Country Meets (1981-2004), NCAA Track and Field Sport Committee (1982-2004) and NCAA rules committee at the NCAA Indoor Track Meets (1982-2004). She was also an official at the Division II NCAA National Championship in 1983 and 1984. Simmons served as the co-regional chair for Region 3 in cross country regional meets in 1982 and 1983
Simmons’ dedication to the sport has brought her several honors including being inducted into the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association (USTFCCCA) Hall of Fame in 2003, she was the fifth woman to be inducted. She was inducted into the Murray State University Athletic Hall of Fame in 2004 and into the Kentucky Track and Cross-Country Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 2008.