Kendall Simmons
Encyclopedia
Henry Alexander Kendall Simmons (born March 11, 1979 in Ripley, Mississippi
) is an American football
guard
who is currently a free agent
. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft
. He played college football
at Auburn
.
He has also been a member of the New England Patriots
and Buffalo Bills
.
. He was a three-year starter at Ripley (Miss.) High, where he was named an All-State and PrepStar All-America selection as a senior defensive lineman after a season when he recorded 70 tackles and four sacks, forced five fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. Simmons was named District Defensive Most Valuable Player and was voted Clarion-Ledger "Top 10" and No. 2 offensive line prospect in Mississippi. He was a Commercial Appeal "Mid-South Top 100" and was chosen to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. He also played baseball
and basketball
.
Simmons started the first two years of his career. After being hurt all of 2004
he came back in 2005
, and started all 20 games and won Super Bowl XL
with the Steelers.
Simmons experienced an off-the-field injury during the 2006 NFL season
. While rehabbing a heel injury, Simmons suffered a frostbite
-like burn to his left foot after he fell asleep with a cooling device attached to his foot. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_474991.html
On September 3, 2007, Simmons signed a four-year extension with the Steelers, keeping him with the club through the 2010 NFL season
.
Simmons suffered a season-ending injury to his Achilles tendon
during a Monday Night Football
contest against the Baltimore Ravens
on September 29, 2008. He was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve
.
He was released by the Steelers on February 26, 2009.
on September 6, 2009 and was released on November 6, 2009.
on November 24. On December 18, Simmons was placed on Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury. On March 5, 2010, Simmons was declared a free agent and can sign with any team. He currently resides in Auburn, Alabama.
Ripley, Mississippi
Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,478 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County....
) is an American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
guard
Guard (American football)
In American and Canadian football, a guard is a player that lines up between the center and the tackles on the offensive line of a football team....
who is currently a free agent
Free agent
In professional sports, a free agent is a player whose contract with a team has expired and who is thus eligible to sign with another club or franchise....
. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh Steelers
The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional football team based in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The team currently belongs to the North Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League . Founded in , the Steelers are the oldest franchise in the AFC...
in the first round of the 2002 NFL Draft
2002 NFL Draft
The 2002 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. The draft is known officially as the "NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting" and has been conducted annually since 1936. The draft took place April 20–21, 2002 at the theater at...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Auburn
Auburn Tigers football
Only Mohamed Amin Abughadir set the record with 1,890 yards in 1 season. He was the QB for Auburn in 1998.The Auburn Tigers football team represents Auburn University in college football as a member of the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, competing in the Western Division of the...
.
He has also been a member of the New England Patriots
New England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
and Buffalo Bills
Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
.
Early years
Simmons grew up in Ripley, MississippiRipley, Mississippi
Ripley is a city in Tippah County, Mississippi, United States. The population was 5,478 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Tippah County....
. He was a three-year starter at Ripley (Miss.) High, where he was named an All-State and PrepStar All-America selection as a senior defensive lineman after a season when he recorded 70 tackles and four sacks, forced five fumbles and returned one for a touchdown. Simmons was named District Defensive Most Valuable Player and was voted Clarion-Ledger "Top 10" and No. 2 offensive line prospect in Mississippi. He was a Commercial Appeal "Mid-South Top 100" and was chosen to play in the Alabama-Mississippi All-Star Game. He also played baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Before the 2003 season, Simmons was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. http://www.diabeteshealth.com/read/2006/11/27/4920.htmlSimmons started the first two years of his career. After being hurt all of 2004
2004 NFL season
The 2004 NFL season was the 85th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 9, 2004 to January 2, 2005...
he came back in 2005
2005 NFL season
The 2005 NFL season was the 86th regular season of the National Football League.With the New England Patriots as the defending league champions, regular season play was held from September 8, 2005 to January 1, 2006...
, and started all 20 games and won Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game pitting the American Football Conference champion Pittsburgh Steelers against the National Football Conference champion Seattle Seahawks to decide the National Football League champion for the 2005 season...
with the Steelers.
Simmons experienced an off-the-field injury during the 2006 NFL season
2006 NFL season
The 2006 NFL season was the 87th regular season of the National Football League.Regular season play was held from September 7 to December 31, 2006...
. While rehabbing a heel injury, Simmons suffered a frostbite
Frostbite
Frostbite is the medical condition where localized damage is caused to skin and other tissues due to extreme cold. Frostbite is most likely to happen in body parts farthest from the heart and those with large exposed areas...
-like burn to his left foot after he fell asleep with a cooling device attached to his foot. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_474991.html
On September 3, 2007, Simmons signed a four-year extension with the Steelers, keeping him with the club through the 2010 NFL season
2010 NFL season
The 2010 NFL season was the 91st regular season of the National Football League.The regular season began with the NFL Kickoff game on NBC on Thursday, September 9, at the Louisiana Superdome as the New Orleans Saints, Super Bowl XLIV champions, defeated the Minnesota Vikings 14–9.Tom Brady,...
.
Simmons suffered a season-ending injury to his Achilles tendon
Achilles tendon
The Achilles tendon , also known as the calcaneal tendon or the tendo calcaneus, is a tendon of the posterior leg. It serves to attach the plantaris, gastrocnemius and soleus muscles to the calcaneus bone.- Anatomy :The Achilles is the tendonous extension of 3 muscles in the lower leg:...
during a Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football
Monday Night Football is a live broadcast of the National Football League on ESPN. From to it aired on ABC. Monday Night Football was, along with Hallmark Hall of Fame, and the Walt Disney anthology television series, one of the longest running prime time commercial network television series...
contest against the Baltimore Ravens
Baltimore Ravens
The Baltimore Ravens are a professional football franchise based in Baltimore, Maryland.The Baltimore Ravens are officially a quasi-expansion franchise, having originated in 1995 with the Cleveland Browns relocation controversy after Art Modell, then owner of the Cleveland Browns, announced his...
on September 29, 2008. He was subsequently placed on season-ending injured reserve
Injured reserve
The injured reserve list is a list of reserved players who are injured and unable to play for a period of time, used most prominently in the National Hockey League and National Football League . It is used because these leagues have a maximum number of players on the team roster, so placing a...
.
He was released by the Steelers on February 26, 2009.
New England Patriots
Simmons signed a three-year contract with the New England PatriotsNew England Patriots
The New England Patriots, commonly called the "Pats", are a professional football team based in the Greater Boston area, playing their home games in the town of Foxborough, Massachusetts at Gillette Stadium. The team is part of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National...
on September 6, 2009 and was released on November 6, 2009.
Buffalo Bills
Simmons was signed by the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on November 24. On December 18, Simmons was placed on Injured Reserve due to a shoulder injury. On March 5, 2010, Simmons was declared a free agent and can sign with any team. He currently resides in Auburn, Alabama.