[3] He declined numerous opportunities from four-year colleges, though he was a candidate to be coach of the Oklahoma Sooners in 1991, when they instead hired Larry Cochell.
[2] Simmons won his 1,000th game at Seminole State in 1990[4] and became the winningest coach in National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA).
[7] Later that year, the Kansas City Royals of Major League Baseball (MLB) hired Simmons as a manager for their Rookie-level farm teams.
[9] When the head coaching position at Seminole State became open again in 2012, they convinced Simmons to return.
[9] He retired after the 2016 season, having won over 1,800 games and leading Seminole State to the JUCO World Series thirteen times,[10] finishing as the runner-up in 1981, 1982, and 1987.