He played college football for the University of North Carolina, and earned All-American honors.
With the Ravens about to score again, Simmons sacked rookie quarterback Kyle Boller, which forced a fumble, and led to Jon Kitna's 45-yard touchdown pass on third down.
Three minutes into the second half, Simmons intercepted an A. J. Feeley pass and took it 50 yards for the Bengals' only score of the game.
It allowed Carson Palmer to get rolling and drive downfield to set up Shayne Graham's game-winning field goal.
Simmons served as the color analyst for the Tar Heel Sports Network football broadcasts and was also the head football coach at Windermere Prep until January 2024, when he accepted an advisory role on the staff of Mack Brown at his alma mater, UNC.