Al Simmons begins his third season with the University of New Mexico, serving as a cornerbacks coach. A veteran in his 32nd year in college coaching, he previously served as the co-defensive coordinator and secondary coach at rival Colorado State.
Last season the Lobo corners the secondary shave over 20 yards off their average from a year ago, allowing 222.3 yards per game, despite most teams having the throw against the Lobos because they were trailing. In addition, the corner Jadon Boatright scored the opening touchdown in a 59-17 win over ULM in a 30-yard interception return. Additionally corner Nias Martin recorded 11 pass break-ups, tying for the 10th-most in a single season at UNM.
In 2015 Simmons helped UNM’s cornerbacks and secondary to 14 interceptions on the season, including a team leading four by cornerback Cranston Jones. Jones had an interception and a 43-yard return in the GIldan New Mexico Bowl, tying the bowl games’ record. UNM’s other cornerback Nias Martin led the team in passes broken up, and he also scored on a 77-yard fumble return.
Simmons came to UNM from Colorado State, where he served as the co-defensive coordinator with Marty English, while coaching the secondary. In 2014, Simmons’ charges were fourth in the Mountain West in passing defense, including allowing the second-lowest completion percentage in the league. CSU was also fourth in passing efficiency defense and third in fewest touchdowns allowed.
The pair led a defense that in 2013 ranked fourth in the Mountain West in scoring defense (29.8). Simmons’ defensive secondary has been a young, developing unit in his two seasons with the Rams, as just 14 of the 112 player starts have been made by seniors. The Rams will have their most experienced secondary of the McElwain era in 2014, coupled with an infusion of young talent as well.
Overall the Simmons-English defense ranked third in the MW and 30th in D1 FBS in rushing defense in 2013 (140.6) and No. 4 (No. 46 FBS) in sacks (2.3 per game). Three CSU defenders earned All-MW recognition, inlcuding MW Defensive Player of the Year and first-teamer Shaquil Barrett. Cornerback Shaq Bell was named to the second team while linebacker Max Morgan earned honorable mention.
In his first season at Colorado State the Rams ranked fourth in the Mountain West in passing yards allowed (203.2). The Rams’ defense produced three players who earned All-Mountain West honors, including second-team defensive end selection Lanston Tanyi. Barrett and Bell received honorable mention, while LB Cory James was named to Phil Steele’s national All-Freshman second team. James set a Colorado State freshman record with 7.5 sacks in 2012.
Simmons came to Fort Collins from UTEP, where he’d served under Mike Price for one season (2011) as safeties coach. While still in the Mountain Time Zone, El Paso represented the Eastern-most stop in his impressive college coaching career.
For all or parts of six seasons, Simmons has coached at the NFL level, including two years (2003-04) as a full-time assistant coach with the San Francisco 49ers. Simmons also has assisted NFL staffs during training camp on four occasions, with the Los Angeles Raiders (1993), Arizona Cardinals (1996), San Diego Chargers (1999) and Dallas Cowboys (2000).
Prior to his year in Conference USA, Simmons spent three seasons (2008-10) on Jeff Tedford’s staff at Cal, coaching the Golden Bears’ defensive backs. During that period, his second stint at Cal, Simmons helped Syd’Quan Thompson, Denver’s seventh-round selection in the 2010 NFL Draft, to All-America recognition in both 2008 and ‘09. The Bears, who picked off just 10 passes the year before Simmons’ arrival, improved their interception total to 24, which led the Pac-10 and ranked third in the nation. Cal in the season after adding Simmons also improved its total defense from 378.8 yards/game in 2007 to 315.2, and its pass defense from 214.4 in 2007 to 193.0 in 2008. In his last season on staff, 2010, Simmons helped Cal lead the conference in total defense, thanks in large part to the play of Chris Conte, the Chicago Bears’ third-round selection in the 2011 NFL Draft.
In two seasons at Arizona State (2006-07), Simmons worked under two head coaches, Dirk Koetter and Dennis Erickson. His Sun Devil pupils included Justin Tryon, a first-team all-Pac-10 selection and fourth-round draft selection who played for the Super Bowl-champion New York Giants in 2011, and Freshman All-American Omar Bolden, a 2012 fourth-round draft choice of the Denver Broncos. As co-special teams coordinator, Simmons developed 2007 Lou Groza Award winner Thomas Weber, who was in training camp with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2011 and ‘12.
Simmons spent one season (2005) as Dick Tomey’s cornerbacks coach at San Jose State, after two years on Erickson’s 49ers staff in San Francisco, where Simmons coached the cornerbacks in 2003 and the overall secondary in 2004.
He got back into the NFL after two years (2001-02) as Oregon State’s defensive backs coach, where he coached All-American Dennis Weathersby, the victim of a random act of violence days before the 2003 NFL Draft,who wasstill selected by Cincinnati in the fourth round. Weathersby left the Beavers as the program’s all-time leader in passes defensed.
Simmons’ first term with Cal, and first experience in the Pac-10, was 1998-2000, when he served as the Golden Bears’ cornerbacks coach. His top protégé at Cal was Deltha O’Neal, the No. 1 cornerback selected in the 2000 NFL Draft, 15th overall in 2000, by the Denver Broncos. He also tutored All-American punter Nick Harris, Denver’s fourth-round choice in the 2001 draft, and a longtime NFL veteran.
He earned the jump to Cal after serving as defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at Idaho State in 1997.
Before that, Simmons coached for two years (1995-96) under Cliff Hysell at Montana State, as defensive backs coach. With the Bobcats, he first coached with McElwain, who at the time the offensive coordinator, and coached a pair of all-conference players, Omar Turner and Jared Lucero.
Overall Simmons has coached several NFL players, including Deltha O’Neal, Chidi Iwouma, Syd Quan Thompson, Brett Johnson, D.J. Campbell and Steve Williams from Cal, Dennis Weathersby and Terrell Roberts from Oregon State, and Justin Tryon and Omar Bolden from Arizona State.
Including one campaign (1994) as the defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach at San Francisco State, Simmons launched his coaching career where he grew up, in the Bay Area. Tim Tierney gave Simmons his first job, at Cal State Hayward as the defensive backs coach, a role he held for two seasons (1986-87). He earned additional duties as Hayward’s defensive coordinator and held the reins of the defense from 1988-93.
An all-conference linebacker at Laney College (1981-82) and an all-league safety at Cal State Hayward (1983-84), Simmons grew up just two and a half miles from the Oakland Coliseum, and graduated from Oakland High School.
Simmons owns two degrees, a bachelor’s in business (‘87) and a master’s in athletic administration and sensory motor skills (‘91), both from Cal State Hayward. He is single.
THE SIMMONS FILE
Hometown: Oakland, Calif.
Alma Mater: Cal State Hayward, 1987, B.A., Business; Cal State Hayward, 1991, Master’s, Athletic Administration/Sensory Motor Skills
Playing Experience: Laney College, 1981-82; Cal State Hayward 1983-85.
Coaching Experience
2015-present New Mexico (Cornerbacks)
2012-14 Colorado State (Co-Defensive Coordinator/Secondary)
2011 UTEP (Safeties)
2008-10 California (Defensive Backs)
2007 Arizona State (Co-Special Teams Coordinator/Cornerbacks)
2006 Arizona State (Cornerbacks)
2005 San Jose State (Cornerbacks)
2004 San Francisco 49ers (Defensive Backs)
2003 San Francisco 49ers (Cornerbacks)
2001-02 Oregon State (Defensive Backs)
2000 Dallas Cowboys (Secondary Asst.-Summer)
1999 San Diego Chargers (Linebackers Asst.-Summer)
1998-00 California (Cornerbacks)
1997 Idaho State (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
1996 Arizona Cardinals (Secondary Asst.- Summer)
1995-96 Montana State (Defensive Backs)
1994 San Francisco State (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
1993 Los Angeles Raiders (Secondary Asst.-Summer)
1988-93 Cal State Hayward (Defensive Coordinator/Defensive Backs)
1986-87 Cal State Hayward (Defensive Backs)
Bowl Games
2016 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, 2015 Gildan New Mexico Bowl, 2014 Las Vegas Bowl; 2013 New Mexico Bowl; 2009 Pointsettia Bowl; 2008 Emerald Bowl; 2007 Holiday Bowl; 2006 Hawai’i Bowl; 2002 Insight.com Bowl