Ormond Simkins


Ormond Simkins was an American football and baseball player for the Sewanee Tigers of Sewanee: [The University of the South]. He was the son of William Stewart Simkins, who may have fired the first shot of the American Civil War.

Early years

Ormond was born on May 16, 1879, in Corsicana, Texas, to William Stewart Simkins and Elizabeth Ware.

Sewanee

Ormond entered Sewanee in 1896 as a law student. He was valedictorian of the 1900 class.

Baseball

On the baseball team he was the catcher and when captain of the team in 1901, moved to shortstop.

Football

Simkins was an All-Southern Team|All-Southern] fullback and punter of the Sewanee Tigers football team from 1896 [Sewanee Tigers football team|1896] to 1901 [Sewanee Tigers football team|1901]. A stained glass window at Sewanee depicts Simkins handing a football to Henry D. Phillips.

1899

He was a member of the 1899 "Iron Men" of Sewanee that went undefeated and won 5 road games in 6 days all by shutout. Fuzzy Woodruff wrote of the only game in which Sewanee was scored upon, the 11 to 10 win over 1899 [Auburn Tigers football team|Auburn], "Under Heisman's tutelage, Auburn played with a marvelous speed and dash that couldn't be gainsaid and which fairly swept Sewanee off its feet. Only the remarkable punting of Simkins kept the game from being a debacle."
[Image:ormondsimkins.png|thumb|upright=.65|Simkins in 1900.]
In a 1944 interview former coach Billy Suter said of Simkins, "one of the greatest football players I ever saw, a fine kicker, a fine ball carrier, and the most terrific tackler and blocker I ever saw." Simkins is the fullback on the All-Time Sewanee football team, one publication of which notes "Sewanee's greatest backfield ace, Ormond Simkins, unfortunately died some years ago from the effects of a football injury from which he never recovered after leaving college. A wonderful punter and a hard running ball carrier, he deserves much of the credit for Sewanee's wonder team of 1899."
A documentary film about the team and Simkins' role was released in 2022 called "Unrivaled: Sewanee 1899."

Death

Simkins had suffered injuries to both legs while playing football. In later years, his left foot had to be amputated. While working for the War Risk Bureau in Washington, D. C. he entered Georgetown University Hospital in order to have the other one amputated, and died. Henry Seibels would later tell his two sons and an inquiring newsman it was Simkins, not he, who was the best player from Sewanee's 1899 team. A field house with his name is part of the Juhan Gym at Sewanee, where the school plays basketball.