He spent his first two years on the Gophers football squad as a reserve, mired on the depth chart behind established starting tackles Bart Buetow and Dennis Maloney.

He continued to compete as a top tier collegiate wrestler for Minnesota as well, racking up an 18–4 record in 1972–73,[3] and finishing second in the heavyweight division of the 1973 Big Ten Wrestling Championship.

Simonson expressed intrigue at the possibility of a pro football career, telling the Minneapolis Star Tribune, "I'm just glad that somebody drafted me and I'm anxious to give it a try.

[4] He saw very limited game action as an offensive lineman, playing, for example, the last eight minutes of the team's season opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

[6] With a year in the league under his belt, Simonson confided to a friendly reporter, "I expected to be drafted, but not by the Colts.

"[6] His time in Baltimore proved fleeting, with the Colts releasing him on September 9, 1975, less than two weeks before the start of the 1975 NFL season.

[7] After appearing in two games for Houston,[8] he was again released on September 22nd, landing a spot on the roster of the expansion Seattle Seahawks one week later.