Imago
Close up view of an American Football sitting on a grass football field on the yard line. Generic Sports image . High quality photo xkwx athletics ball field football grass green horizontal american football background copy space culture game lines play recreation sport yard yard line american line pigskin sports white american football league american football player bet big game college competition environment final goal green yard helmet national sport outside sideline soccer sports background sports calendar sports club sports equipment sportswear stadium superbowl team touchdown tradition usa artificial
Imago
Close up view of an American Football sitting on a grass football field on the yard line. Generic Sports image . High quality photo xkwx athletics ball field football grass green horizontal american football background copy space culture game lines play recreation sport yard yard line american line pigskin sports white american football league american football player bet big game college competition environment final goal green yard helmet national sport outside sideline soccer sports background sports calendar sports club sports equipment sportswear stadium superbowl team touchdown tradition usa artificial
The college football world lost another true pioneer today when former Oklahoma State head coach Bob Simmons passed away at 77 years old. Simmons was a historical figure in college football history, breaking major barriers as the first Black head football coach in Oklahoma State history and the first African-American head coach in the entire Big 12 conference.
Watch What’s Trending Now!
Simmons’ family confirmed the news of his passing to The Oklahoman. The reason for his death is still unknown.
Former Oklahoma State coach Bob Simmons passed away at 77 years old, the school announced.
Simmons, who won Big 12 Coach of the Year in 1997, was the first Black head football coach for the Cowboys. pic.twitter.com/tzbbLxvDFu
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) June 10, 2026
Simmons helped pave the way for future generations of Black head coaches and became one of the most influential figures in college football history.
Before taking over the Cowboys, he spent decades learning from some of the best minds in the business, coaching under legendary West Virginia coach Don Nehlen and Colorado’s Bill McCartney. Most people don’t know he was actually the linebackers coach for that dominant Colorado Buffaloes squad that secured the 1990 Consensus National Championship.
When Simmons arrived in Stillwater to take over Oklahoma State in late 1994, the football program was in really rough shape, buried under the weight of severe NCAA probation penalties. They had suffered through six consecutive losing seasons and had managed to win just two conference games over the previous four years combined.
It didn’t take that long to make his mark. He quickly became a school legend in his first season. For almost 20 years, Oklahoma State had not beaten its biggest rival, the Oklahoma Sooners. In 1995, Simmons led his team to Norman and shocked everyone with a 12-0 shutout win. This broke the long “Bedlam” losing streak. He finished his career with a 3-3 record against Oklahoma, and he is the only OSU coach to win more than one road game in the rivalry.
The best part of his time at Oklahoma State came in 1997. Simmons helped the team start the season strong with a 6-0 record. Fans in Stillwater started believing in the team again. The team finished 8-4 and went to the Alamo Bowl. It was a big moment because it was the first bowl game for Oklahoma State since 1988. Because of this great season, Simmons won the Big 12 Coach of the Year in 1997.
In 1996, Simmons also made history differently. He coached in a very long game against Southwest Missouri State. The game went to overtime, and Oklahoma State won. It was the first overtime game in NCAA Division I regular-season history.
He coached for six years and finished with a 30-38 record in 2000. But his impact stayed with the program for a long time. After that, he worked as an assistant coach at Notre Dame and the University of Washington, where he helped young players for many years.
Even more sadly, this devastating loss comes at a time when the Simmons family was already dealing with an unimaginable amount of grief.
Grief struck the family long before today
Just about ten months earlier, in August 2025, Bob’s 46-year-old son, Nathan Simmons, was tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident in Westminster, Colorado.
The driver who hit Nathan actually sped away from the scene at first, which turned the investigation into a hit-and-run search. But in a strange twist, the suspect drove back to the crash site a few hours later while police were still there working. Officers immediately arrested the adult male driver and took his car away. Police never publicly explained why the driver decided to come back.
Before this tragedy, Nathan was best known for being an outstanding football player and an incredibly smart student. He moved to Oklahoma State in the late 1990s to play running back under his father and went on to rush for nearly 2,000 yards and score 14 touchdowns during his college career. Nathan also completed his bachelor’s degree in just two years, allowing him to begin graduate school early.
It has been a difficult journey for the Simmons family, but many would take comfort in believing that both father and son are now reunited.
At the end of the day, Simmons will be remembered not only as a trailblazer who changed the trajectory of Oklahoma State and college football, but also as a devoted father whose impact extended far beyond the game.
