Southwestern Oklahoma State Athletics

Known as “Mr. Basketball of Oklahoma,” Simmons was an outstanding athlete at Sentinel High school before enrolling at SWOSU in the 1920’s. He starred for the Bulldogs in football, basketball, track and baseball. Jenkins was most famous for making a half-court shot at the buzzer to beat rival Phillips for the conference title.

He coached basketball at Northeastern State University for seven years but was most noted for his basketball teams at El Reno High School. During his 26 years as the head coach of the Indians, he compiled a 436-114 record on the way to winning five state championships in 1932, 1933, 1946, 1949 and 1953, as well as two runner-up finishes.

His 1933 and 1949 teams were undefeated. He also served as the Oklahoma Coaches’ Association Oil Bowl coach in 1956.

He graduated in 1926 and joined the National Football League’s Cleveland Bulldogs in 1927. He led the Bulldogs with five rushing touchdowns while rushing for the second-most yards in the league. For his efforts, he was awarded the Rookie of the Year. In 1928, he moved to the Providence Steamrollers and won the NFL Championship.

He was inducted into the Oklahoma Coaches Hall of Fame in 1967, and was one of the first inductees into the Oklahoma Athletics Hall of Fame in 1972.