Timothy James Simpson (born March 5, 1969) is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard for one season with the Pittsburgh Steelers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Illinois Fighting Illini and was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the twelfth round of the 1992 NFL draft.[1] Simpson was also a member of the New York Jets, London Monarchs, Peoria Pirates and Bloomington Edge.
| No. 61, 65 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Guard Center | ||||
| Personal information | |||||
| Born: | March 5, 1969 Peoria, Illinois, U.S. | ||||
| Height: | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||
| Weight: | 284 lb (129 kg) | ||||
| Career information | |||||
| High school: | East Peoria (East Peoria, Illinois) | ||||
| College: | Illinois | ||||
| NFL draft: | 1992 / round: 12 / pick: 329 | ||||
| Career history | |||||
| As a player: | |||||
| |||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||
| As a coach: | |||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||
| |||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||
| |||||
Early life
editSimpson played high school football at East Peoria High School in East Peoria, Illinois. He was a four-year starter for the Red Raiders as well as a two-time All-Conference and All-State selection. He also participated in wrestling, compiling a record of 157–4, including 3rd and 4th place IHSA state finishes.[2] Simpson was inducted the Greater Peoria Sports Hall of Fame in 2006.[3]
College career
editAt the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Simpson played for the Fighting Illini from 1988 to 1991, starting all 48 games of his career.[3] He earned first-team American Football Coaches All-America honors his senior year in 1991 and was co-winner of the Illini Male Athlete of the Year award, also known as the Dike Eddleman Athlete-of-the-Year, in 1992.[2] He was also a two-time All-Big Ten selection.[3]
Professional career
editSimpson was selected by the Cleveland Browns with the 329th pick in the 1992 NFL draft.[4] He played in four games for the Pittsburgh Steelers in 1994.[1]
He then signed with the New York Jets.[5] In February 1996, he was allocated to the World League of American Football to play for the London Monarchs.[6][7] He was released by the Jets in August 1996.[8]
Simpson played for the Peoria Pirates from 2000 to 2002, winning ArenaCup III in 2002.[9][10][11] He retired after the 2002 season.[12]
He signed with the Bloomington Edge of the Champions Professional Indoor Football League in 2013 but retired before the start of the season.[3][13]
Coaching career
editSimpson helped coach offensive and defensive line at his former high school in 2006, and later was offensive line coach of the Bloomington Extreme of United Indoor Football in 2008.[14]
References
edit- ^ a b "TIM SIMPSON". profootballarchives.com. Archived from the original on September 9, 2016. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ a b "TIM SIMPSON". gpshof.org. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ a b c d "Tim Simpson - OG 1988-1991". fightingillini.com. September 18, 2014. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "1992 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 7, 2023.
- ^ "Tim Simpson". foxsports.com. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "1996 NFL-WLAF Allocation List". The Palm Beach Post. February 21, 1996. p. 34. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ "Tim Simpson". justsportsstats.com. Retrieved May 6, 2015.
- ^ "Football". The Courier-Journal. August 20, 1996. p. 45. Retrieved July 12, 2017.
- ^ Eminian, Dave (September 28, 2010). "WATN: Tim Simpson". pjstar.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ Doxsie, Don (May 7, 2002). "Ex-Illini star Simpson still has fun in af2". qctimes.com. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ "Rosters for Peoria Pirates". swinglonga.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ Supinie, John (September 6, 2008). "Illini honor East Peorian Tim Simpson". pjstar.com. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.
- ^ Meadows, Jim (January 25, 2013). "Bloomington Edge Signs Illini 40-Something". illinois.edu. Retrieved May 7, 2015.[dead link]
- ^ "Extreme announces assistant coaches". oursportscentral.com. February 12, 2008. Archived from the original on May 7, 2015. Retrieved May 7, 2015.