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Former FAMU football coach Willie Simmons set to rejoin head coaching ranks at FIU
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- Former FAMU football coach Willie Simmons set to rejoin head coaching ranks at FIU
Willie Simmons is back in the head coaching realm.
On Saturday, ESPN's Pete Thamel reported that the former Florida A&M head coach is becoming the head coach at Florida International.
FIU itself confirmed the report in a tweet: "The Simmons era is here! Let's gooo."
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"Words cannot express how excited I am to lead FIU football into the future!" Simmons said in a statement. "I look forward to leading this program to newer heights as we strive to match our athletic prowess with the academic greatness of this world-class institution. There's no better place to coach and play football than sunny South Florida, and we look forward to bringing the best and the brightest to the 305! The Future is NOW! PAWS UP!!!"
Simmons' deal with FIU will be four years, according to Thamel.
Simmons spent 2018 to 2023 coaching the Rattlers before departing to become the Duke Blue Devils ' running backs coach on Jan. 1. FAMU promoted assistant head coach James Colzie III to replace Simmons.
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Duke, with Simmons on staff, finished the regular season 9-3 and is bowl eligible.
Simmons, 44, replaces former replaces former FIU coach Mike MacIntyre, who led the Panthers to 4-8 finishes in all three of his seasons.
Dec 16, 2023; Atlanta, GA, USA; Florida A&M Rattlers head coach Willie Simmons on the sideline against the Howard Bison in the first half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
The Quincy native Simmons holds a head coaching record of 66-24, rebuilding Football Championship Subdivision programs Prairie View A&M (2015-2017) and FAMU . In 2023, Simmons led the Rattlers to their first-ever Southwestern Athletic Conference and Celebration Bowl championships to claim the program's 16th Black College Football National title .
FIU is Simmons' first head coaching job on the Football Bowl Subdivision level.
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Thus far, FIU has four games scheduled for Simmons' first season as the Panthers are set to face Penn State (Sept. 6), Florida Atlantic (Sept. 13), UConn (Oct. 4), and Long Island (TBA).
Gerald Thomas, III is a multi-time award-winning journalist for his coverage of the Florida A&M Rattlers at the Tallahassee Democrat.
Follow his award-winning coverage on RattlerNews.com and contact him via email at GDThomas@Tallahassee.com or on the app formerly known as Twitter @3peatgee .
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Former Florida A&M coach Willie Simmons hired to head FIU Panthers
