Matt Simon (American football)

Matt Simon
Sport(s)	Football
Current position
Title	Head coach
Team	Gilmour Academy (OH)
Biographical details
Born	December 6, 1953 (1953-12-06) (age 57)
Place of birth	Akron, Ohio
Playing career
1972–1975	Eastern New Mexico
Position(s)	Linebacker
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1977 1978 1979–1981 1982–1991 1992–1993 1994–1997 1999–2005 2007–2008 2009–present	Eastern New Mexico (GA) Borger HS (assistant) UTEP (TE/LB) Washington (RB/K) New Mexico (OC) North Texas Baltimore Ravens (RB) San Diego Chargers (RB) Gilmour Academy (OH)
Head coaching record
Overall	18–26–1 (college)
Tournaments	0–1 (NCAA D-I-AA playoffs)
Statistics
College Football Data Warehouse
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
1 Southland (1994)

Matt Simon (born December 6, 1953) is an American football coach and former player in the United States. He currently serves as the head varsity football coach at Gilmour Academy in Gates Mills, Ohio and as Gilmour Academy's seventh grade physical education teacher. Simon has previously coached in the collegiate ranks, most notably as head coach at the University of North Texas from 1994 to 1997. Simon is one of only ten football coaches to win both an NCAA Division I-A/FBS national championship (with Washington in 1991) and a Super Bowl (with the Baltimore Ravens in 2000).

Born in Akron, Ohio, Simon grew up in El Paso, Texas. He attended Burges High School where he was a three-sport standout in football, track and wrestling. He earned four letters as a linebacker for the Eastern New Mexico University Greyhounds and was later inducted into the ENMU Hall of Honors. Immediately following his playing career, Simon began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at his alma mater. After one year as an assistant at Borger High School, Simon coached the tight end and linebacker positions at the University of Texas at El Paso under head coach Bill Michael.

In 1982, he became running backs and placekickers coach at the University of Washington. The Huskies went to nine bowl games over a span of ten seasons. In 1991, the Huskies tied the Miami Hurricanes for the national championship. In 1997, Simon was inducted into the University of Washington's Hall of Fame. Simon left Washington in 1992 for the offensive coordinator position at New Mexico under head coach Dennis Franchione. The Lobos averaged 413 yards and 30.5 points per game during that span. They ranked 13th in the country in 1992 and improved to 8th the following year.

Simon succeeded Dennis Parker as head coach at North Texas in 1994, becoming only the 10th African American to lead a Division I-A football squad. In his first season, Simon guided North Texas to the Southland Conference Championship. He was named Southland Conference Coach of the Year, Black Coaches Association National Football Coach of the Year and AFCA Region 4 Coach of the Year. However, the Mean Green football program decline the next years, causing Simon to be fired in 1997.

After coaching at the Denver Broncos training camp in 1998, Simon began his pro coaching career with the Baltimore Ravens. Under his guidance, Baltimore rushed for an average of 1,985 yards per season and defeated the New York Giants in Super Bowl XXXV following the 2000 NFL season. In 2004, the Ravens’ ground attack produced 2,063 total yards and ranked 9th in the NFL. It was Jamal Lewis's fourth 1,000-yard rushing season under Simon. Baltimore rushed for at least 2,000 yards in three different seasons under Simon, including a team-record 2,674 yards in 2003 when Jamal Lewis was named NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Associated Press All-Pro and selected to the AFC Pro Bowl squad.

References

External links

• Matt Simon at the College Football Data Warehouse

Persondata
Name	Simon, Matt
Alternative names
Short description	American football player and coach
Date of birth	December 6, 1953
Place of birth	Akron, Ohio
Date of death
Place of death