// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did "Hi Simmons" say when it ran into its friend? Hi again Simmons.
 Simmons from The Savitar, 1939 | |
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 16, 1905 Lancaster, Missouri, U.S. |
| Died | January 12, 1995 (aged 89) Columbia, Missouri, U.S. |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1937–1973 | Missouri |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 481–294–3 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 1954 College World Series | |
John Carl "Hi" Simmons (August 16, 1905 – January 12, 1995) was the head baseball coach at the University of Missouri from 1937 until 1973.
Early life and education
[edit]Simmons was born in Lancaster, Missouri, the son of Oliver H. Simmons and Etta Leedom Simmons.[1][2] He graduated from Kirksville State College (now Truman State University).[3]
Coaching career
[edit]During Simmons' tenure as baseball coach, Missouri won one national championship, finished runner-up three other times, appeared in six College World Series and won 11 conference titles. Simmons' Missouri team won the 1954 College World Series[4] and finished as runners-up in 1952, 1958 and 1964. He was named college baseball coach of the year in 1954 by the Rockne Club.[1]
Simmons also served as a football assistant coach and scout[5] under Don Faurot.[6][7] He was honored by the Missouri alumni in 1962,[8] and inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 1977, the University of Missouri Hall of Fame in 1990, and is also a member of the ABCA Hall of Fame.
Death and legacy
[edit]Simmons married Frances Janet Vlcek in 1939, and had three sons. His larynx was removed by surgery to treat cancer in 1979. He died in 1995, at the age of 89, at his home in Columbia, Missouri. The field at Taylor Stadium is named Simmons Field in his honor.[3]
Head coaching record
[edit]| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Missouri Tigers (Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Association) (1937–1973) | |||||||||
| 1937 | Missouri | 13–2–1 | 8–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1938 | Missouri | 11–2 | 8–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1939 | Missouri | 11–3 | 10–2 | 2nd | |||||
| 1940 | Missouri | 8–4 | 6–4 | 3rd | |||||
| 1941 | Missouri | 15–2 | 10–2 | 1st | |||||
| 1942 | Missouri | 12–3 | 7–1 | 1st | |||||
| 1943 | Missouri | 3–3 | – | ||||||
| 1946 | Missouri | 5–7 | 4–4 | 4th | |||||
| 1947 | Missouri | 11–8 | 9–6 | 2nd | |||||
| 1948 | Missouri | 15–6 | 11–5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1949 | Missouri | 7–11 | 5–7 | 6th | |||||
| 1950 | Missouri | 11–9–1 | 9–5 | 2nd | |||||
| 1951 | Missouri | 12–6 | 9–4 | 2nd | |||||
| 1952 | Missouri | 20–7 | 13–1 | 1st | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1953 | Missouri | 11–8 | 9–5 | 3rd | |||||
| 1954 | Missouri | 22–4 | 11–1 | 1st | College World Series Champions | ||||
| 1955 | Missouri | 14–6 | 9–3 | 2nd | |||||
| 1956 | Missouri | 14–7 | 7–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1957 | Missouri | 13–7 | 10–7 | 3rd | |||||
| 1958 | Missouri | 22–7 | 12–3 | 1st | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1959 | Missouri | 3–17 | 3–11 | 8th | |||||
| 1960 | Missouri | 12–9 | 9–6 | 4th | |||||
| 1961 | Missouri | 16–7 | 13–6 | 2nd | |||||
| 1962 | Missouri | 22–7 | 16–5 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1963 | Missouri | 25–8 | 17–3 | 1st | College World Series | ||||
| 1964 | Missouri | 26–5–1 | 19–0 | 1st | College World Series Runner-up | ||||
| 1965 | Missouri | 15–8 | 13–5 | 1st | |||||
| 1966 | Missouri | 13–12 | 9–9 | 4th | |||||
| 1967 | Missouri | 15–14–1 | 12–9 | 2nd | |||||
| 1968 | Missouri | 11–6 | 9–11 | 5th | |||||
| 1969 | Missouri | 14–13 | 11–10 | 3rd | |||||
| 1970 | Missouri | 12–13 | 8–9 | 5th | |||||
| 1971 | Missouri | 17–16 | 12–9 | 4th | |||||
| 1972 | Missouri | 16–16 | 9–11 | 6th | |||||
| 1973 | Missouri | 13–21 | 8–12 | 5th | |||||
| Missouri: | 481–294–3 | ||||||||
| Total: | 481–294–3 | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
References
[edit]- 1 2 "An Award to 'Hi' Simmons; Rockney Club Names Him Baseball Coach of Year". The Excelsior. July 15, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Obituary for John C. "Hi" Simmons". Columbia Daily Tribune. January 14, 1995. p. 2. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- 1 2 Cain, Scott (January 14, 1995). "Recalling 'Hi' times of MU baseball; Simmons recognized as big winner in life". Columbia Daily Tribune. p. 11. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Hi' Simmons Named Top Baseball Coach; Career Capped by Winning Title". Columbia Missourian. August 17, 1954. p. 1. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Hi' Simmons is Unnoticed Strategist for Tiger Machine". Columbia Missourian. December 3, 1942. p. 10. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Hi' Simmons Believes M.U.-Terp Score May Be Closer This Year". The Examiner. September 18, 1952. p. 11. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "Next to a Victory, Gridders Get Biggest Bang Out of 'Hi' Simmons' Reports". Columbia Missourian. November 21, 1952. p. 15. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
- ↑ "'Hi' Simmons Honored by M. U. Alumni". St. Louis Globe-Democrat. December 1, 1962. p. 64. Retrieved August 19, 2026 – via Newspapers.com.
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