Robinson High School has had 3 football coaches in the past 4 years. All coaches have contributed expertise and knowledge to enhance the school’s program, and Robinson’s fourth and newest–Coach Mike Simmonds–has arrived to strengthen the Knights’ football team and bring stability to the program.
Football has played a major role in Simmonds life. Before coaching, Simmonds played for Indiana State University and following that he was selected in the 1987 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he was the offensive guard for the Bucs in 1989. Simmonds began coaching at high schools in Tampa in the 90s, where he moved on to the State Championships three times. Yet another change brought Simmonds to the University of South Florida, where he held the position of offensive line coach. He returned to coach at his alma mater, Indiana State University, in 2024 and is now at Robinson High School to enrich the program. In total, Simmonds has over thirty years of coaching experience under his belt.
“The program revolves around faith, family and football. We’re going to teach [the team] how to be great young men,” Simmonds said. “First and foremost, we are going to optimize what it means to be a student athlete.”
Simmonds plans to do this by stressing the importance of “athletics and academics.”
Simmonds also strives to prepare students for college football as well. He wants to ensure that the team is set up for success after high school.
“We’re going to prep them for post-graduate football. Once they graduate from high school we want them to have an opportunity to go on to college,” Simmonds said.
To Simmonds, coaching means learning. He wants to use his knowledge to shape the team, as well as gain new information on the players.
“I’m going to continue learning strategies and different things, but I can assure you, over the last nineteen years of coaching division one, I’ve learned a ton. But you can only do what your players are capable of [and] doing what your personnel dictates (…) and we’re going to find that out here. That’s why you put the pads on in spring.”
Simmonds wants to focus on intense specialization for players in specific positions.
“We’re going to train players to be offense and defense, and everybody’s going to learn special teams. We’re going to concentrate on blocking and tackling, which is the basis of the game, and we’re going to try to find who can play what position and what they’re best at.”
The team is currently in the “winter conditioning phase,” where players will begin preparing for the next season. This will be followed by spring football, summer conditioning, training camp, fall season and finally, playoffs.
Simmonds is impressed and confident with Robinson’s strong athletic presence, as well as the hefty pride of the students and staff.
“We have an outstanding school that has the bricks,” Simmonds said. “But it’s not the bricks; it’s the mortar that holds the school together–the mortar of the people.”
With Coach Simmonds, the Knights will conquer competition, foster teamwork and defend their turf.
