Year Inducted: 1973
Nominated By: Patrick L. Bekeza
Sports Competed In: Basketball
Athlete, Coach or Contributor: Coach
Harry Simmons
High School:
Attended El Paso County H.S. in Colorado Springs, CO., and Ramah H.S. in Ramah, Colorado in the 1930s, playing basketball at forward being 6’4”.
College:
Went to the University of Colorado and earned two undergraduate degrees in 1937 and 1938...Continued post-graduate work at Colorado State University in Ft. Collins, graduating with a Masters degree in 1951.
Achievements:
College:
All-League selection in the old Rocky Mountain Faculty Athletic Conference playing center on the Buffaloes basketball squad.
Honors:
1st Lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps.
Achievements:
Military Athletics:
● Played basketball for the San Diego Marines.
● While stationed overseas, played on the Southwest Pacific Marine All-Stars team that went undefeated.
● Also played for Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post 61.
Coaching Career:
● Started coaching in 1939 at Vineland High School.
● Also coached at Fountain High School, Trinidad State Junior College, Pueblo Junior College (PJC) and Southern Colorado State College - SCSC (now CSU-Pueblo).
● While coaching at PJC, 13 of his teams competed in post-season tournaments including seven trips to the National Junior College Championships (NJJC).
● Seven of his ten SCSC squads competed in post-season tournaments while at SCSC.
● Also coached football, baseball, golf, tennis and track as well as athletic director and professor of physical education at SCSC.
National Junior College Athletic Association Championship Finishes:
Year:
1947
1956
1957
1960
1961
Finish:
5th Place
6th Place
3rd Place
8th Place
National Champions
Achievements:
Coaching (PJC):
National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) "Coach of the Year"(1961).
Coaching (SCSC):
● Two-time NAIA District #7 "Coach-of-the-Year" (1964-65).
● NAIA Dist. #7 Champions (1965).
● NCAA College West Regional - Champions (1972).
● Three-time Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Championships (1963, 1972 and 1973).
● GPAC "Coach-of-the-Year" (1973).
33-Year Basketball Coaching Record: 603-262 for a .697 winning percentage.
Includes the following:
Three years at the high school level: 82-15.
20 years at the junior college level: 347-161.
10 years at four-year college level: 174-86.
Occupation:
Teacher, basketball coach and athletic director at Southern Colorado State College (Now CSU-Pueblo).
Personal:
Lived on Pueblo... Passed away on March 27, 1990.
Photo of Simmons courtesy of the Colorado Hall of Fame.
