Simmons leaving after 3 years to guide Florida A&M program
Willie Simmons unexpectedly resigned after three successful seasons as Prairie View A&M football coach to take the same position at Florida A&M, as reported by the Tallahassee Democrat.
Panthers assistant coach Bubba McDowell has been named interim head coach.
Simmons, 37, compiled a record of 21-11 at Prairie View. Born in Tallahassee, Fla., Simmons played high school football in Florida, and was a quarterback briefly at FAMU in 2003 after transferring from Clemson. Replacing Wood
On Nov. 21, Alex Wood resigned following a 3-8 season and after three years leading the Rattlers. Florida A&M is a historically black university located in Tallahassee.
“We want to thank coach Simmons and his family for their contributions to Prairie View A&M University,” Prairie View vice president/director of athletics Ashley Robinson said in a statement. “He led Panther football through an exciting period with the opening of our new football stadium and helped Prairie View A&M to again become a contender in the Southwestern Athletic Conference.”
In 2016, Prairie View opened up Panther Stadium, a $61 million project that seats 15,000. Simmons had a winning record in each of his three seasons on The Hill, and was 3-0 against main rival Texas Southern, including a 3016 victory on Nov. 25 at BBVA Compass Stadium. It was Simmons’ final game coaching the Panthers. Three winning seasons
Simmons is the first Prairie View football coach since Hoover Wright (196667) to post winning seasons in each of his first two seasons at the helm. In his first season, the Panthers posted an 8-2 mark followed by 7-4 and 6-5 seasons.
In 2015, the Panthers were the highest-scoring team in the FCS, averaging 44.9 points per game.
Chairing the committee in finding a replacement for Simmons is Dr. Corey Bradford, senior vice president of fiscal affairs.
Prior to Prairie View, Simmons was offensive coordinator at Alcorn State for three seasons.