Coach Simms might just be one of the most unappreciated St. X figures ever. Although I am biased, I’m going to tell you a bit about his St. X adventures throughout the years.
For those of you who don’t know who Coach Tom Simms is: he is a former teacher, a lawyer, a longtime freshman soccer coach, and everyone’s favorite substitute teacher. I personally know him as a good friend, as he taught my dad in high school and actually presented him with his first ever JUG.
When interviewing Coach Simms, he made sure I knew to include this story in my article, so feel free to skip ahead if you aren’t interested. The story behind it says all you need to know about the relationship between the two. Simms came into my dad’s class talking about a good book he had read over the weekend. My dad, being the sarcastic, cocky freshman, replied with, “You can read?” Deserving of a JUG? You tell me. Despite his disciplinary actions, they developed a lifelong friendship.
Because of this, I’ve known Coach Simms my whole life, and I’ve become good friends with him. Coach Simms has taught at many school, St. X included. Along with teaching, he is a professional lawyer who focuses on family law. Above all else, he is also the beloved St. X Freshman Soccer Coach.
“Being involved in soccer lets me be a part of a program that helps our guys grow and develop on and off the pitch,” Simms said. “The team gives me great hope for our future and… they are fun.”
Coach Simms’ main appreciation of his soccer role is getting to see young St. X boys become great St. X men. He regularly catches up with all of his former players and loves to check in on all that they are up to lately. But other than that, he loves to see them doing great things in the world.
You might know him more recently as the two-week sub while Mr. Blaser was on leave. Why does Coach Simms continue to be such a big part of the St. X environment?
“The dedication and faith of the brothers and lay faculty gave me a foundation for my life,” Simms said. “My prayer and hope is that I can give that same gift to others in some small way.”
If you see him in the halls on one of his many sub-days, say hi. Tell him I said hi as well.
