. . . the streaks, the ups and downs and the jokes was one stabilizing force. Players looked to him for guidance, and he in return nurtured them and led them through the transition from small-town ball to Division I baseball.
He was a teacher, adviser, confidante, father, mother, dictator, scoutmaster and babysitter. He accepted the blame, refused the credit, received the complaints and handed out the accolades. And when he was very, very good, he fielded a winning baseball club while keeping 23 players happy.
That force was coach John 'Hi' Simmons.
Taking the reins of the Tigers in 1937, Simmons coached until 1973. During that time, Missouri finished first in its conference 11 times and second eight times. He had a record of 481-294-3 for a winning percentage of .620, both second in Missouri history to current coach Gene McArtor.
But the true measure of a coach's success goes much deeper than the numbers. The true quality of a coach is reflected in the men from his program - how they grow up. In that vein, Simmons is as successful a coach as there ever was. His players have gone on to run a family-owned business (Buddy Cox), send sons to military academies (Lee Wynn), found a free-lance public relations firm (Bob Musgrave), become vice president of sales and marketing (Dick Dickinson), and serve as mainstays of the education system as classroom teachers (Wynn and Bert Beckman).
Although he had an aura of toughness, Simmons always kept his sense of humor. Laughter was important to a young, inexperienced team. Simmons recognized this and kept the team loose. (Columbia Missourian, March 13, 1994)
No comments:
Post a Comment