Our 32nd ranked player was a building block of the early Belvidere dynasty and for one of the best stretches ever for Indiana football.
Chris Simons was a 6-4, 245-pound offensive lineman for the Bucs in 1982 and 1983. With Simons and Tyler Mason clearing holes, the Bucs went 6-3 in 1982 and then 9-2 in 1983. The 1983 Bucs were legendary coach Vern Pottinger's first NIC-10 champions and first playoff team in his seventh season.
It was the beginning of a glorious Belvidere run. Beginning in 1985, Belvidere would make the playoffs 10 straight seasons under Pottinger and win two state titles.
While Mason accepted a scholarship to Valparaiso, Simons was being recruited schools such as Iowa State and Wisconsin. He was leaning towards Northern Illinois University where coach Bill Mallory had turned NIU into a mid-major power. When Mallory left NIU for Indiana, Simons followed him to the Big 10.
Simons redshirted in 1984 and played sparingly in 1985. In 1986, he was poised to win a starting position when he broke a leg. He was back in 1987 and 1988 and a fixture as a starter in what was a golden era for Indiana football.
Mallory went 0-11 in 1984 as Simons redshirted. The Hoosiers improved to 4-7 and then 6-6 in 1986 - the season Simons broke his leg. In 1987, Indiana finished second in the Big 10 with a 6-2 mark and 8-4 overall to earn a trip to the Peach Bowl. Indiana was 8-3-1 in 1988 and played in the Liberty Bowl.
Indiana's 16 wins in Simons' final two years were the most for the school since the 1944 and 1945 teams went 16-3-1 under coach Bo McMillin. Indiana hasn't had back-to-back seasons with 16 wins since.
Simons impressed enough that he reportedly was invited to the NFL Combine - although we couldn't find a clip to prove it - but he wasn't drafted or signed.
| No. 32 - Chris Simons, Belvidere | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1982 | High School | Belvidere | Winning Team | 1 |
| 1983 | High School | Belvidere | First Team All-Conference | 2 |
| Conference Champion | 1 | |||
| Playoff Team | 1 | |||
| 1985 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| 1986 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| 1987 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| 1988 | College | Indiana | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Bowl Game | 1 | |||
| Total | 29 | |||
No comments:
Post a Comment