Wayne Simmons (American football)

Infobox NFLretired
name=Wayne Simmons


caption=
position=Linebacker
number=59, 56
birthdate=birth date|1969|12|15
Hilton Head, South Carolina
deathdate=death date and age|2002|08|23|1969|12|15
Kansas City, Missouri
debutyear=1993
finalyear=1998
draftyear=1993
draftround=1
draftpick=15
college=Clemson
teams=
* Green Bay Packers (1993-1997)
* Kansas City Chiefs (1997-1998)
* Buffalo Bills (1998)
stat1label=Sacks
stat1value=11.5
stat2label=Interceptions
stat2value=3
stat3label=Games
stat3value=90
nfl=SIM336166
highlights=
* Super Bowl champion (XXXI)

Wayne General Simmons (December 15, 1969 - August 23, 2002) was an American football linebacker in the National Football League.

Simmons, an integral part of Clemson's #1 ranked defense in 1990, was drafted by the Green Bay Packers with the 15th pick of the first round of the 1993 NFL Draft. Simmons played for Green Bay for four and a half years, earning a Super Bowl ring in 1996. Simmons was well known for shutting down opponents tight ends, but in doing this task extremely well he was not able to obtain the attention drawing statistics such as quarterback sacks. Simmons was traded to the Kansas City Chiefs during the 1997 season when Seth Joyner returned from knee surgery. The Chiefs waived Simmons in 1998 after a 30-7 Monday Night loss to arch-rival Denver Broncos, in which Simmons and fellow linebacker Derrick Thomas were called for a total of five personal fouls on the Broncos' final touchdown drive. The Buffalo Bills claimed Simmons off waivers on November 19, 1998 and played five games. He was released by the team in February of 1999.

Death

In the early hours of August 23, 2002, Simmons was killed in a single-car crash on Interstate 70 in Independence, Missouri. Witnesses report he was driving his Mercedes at high speed and weaving through traffic before losing control of the vehicle. The car rolled several times before landing in a ditch and catching fire. He was 32.

External links

* [http://espn.go.com/classic/obit/s/2002/0823/1421938.html Simmon's obituary at ESPN Classic]
* [http://www.nfl.com/players/waynesimmons/profile?id=SIM336166 NFL.com player page]