Bob Simmons, a former Oklahoma State football coach, died on Tuesday. He was 77.
Simmons became the first Black head coach in OSU football history when he took the reins of the program in 1995. He also holds the distinction of being the only Black head football coach in the Big Eight Conference, as it dissolved the year after he was hired.
In six seasons at the helm from 1995 to 2000, his teams tallied 30 wins and 38 losses. His best season came in 1997 when he won the Big 12 Coach of the Year honors, leading the 8-4 Cowboys to the Alamo Bowl, their first bowl appearance since 1988.
He was beloved by the Cowboy faithful for beating the rival Oklahoma Sooners three times in his tenure. His team's 12-0 victory in 1995 was its first over OU in 19 seasons.
Simmons recruited and developed five All-Americans as OSU's head coach, including R.W. McQuarters.
"Coach Simmons was a fair and fatherly coach," McQuarters said. "He took over an OSU program that had struggled in previous years, but in his first year his recruiting class was amazing. We had no problem beating OU during his career."
Following his tenure in Stillwater, Simmons was an assistant coach at Notre Dame and the University of Washington. His last coaching stop was at Boulder High School in Colorado from 2013 to 2015.
Nathan Simmons, his son and a former Oklahoma State tailback, died last year after being struck in a hit-and-run car crash in Westminster, Colorado.
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