Phil Simms

Lore & Background

Simms was born in Springfield, Kentucky, on his grandfather's farm, a place now called Maple Hill Manor in Washington County, where he attended St. Dominic's Elementary. While in elementary school, his family moved to Louisville and he went to St. Rita Catholic grade school. Simms was the quarterback of the Trojans of Southern High School in Louisville and graduated in 1974. Simms is a descendent of millionaire Frank Wall, and a relative of two older college football players Doc Kuhn, who played for Vanderbilt, and Shipwreck Kelly, who played for Kentucky. Simms chose to attend NCAA Division I FCS (formerly Division 1 AA) Morehead State of the Ohio Valley Conference in nearby Morehead. The Morehead State Eagles ran a ball-control offense, and Simms' numbers were unspectacular—in his senior season he completed 92 of 173 passes for a 53.2% completion percentage and had six touchdown passes, 11 interceptions, and 1,229 yards. The Ohio Valley moved up to the new Division I-AA in 1978, but the Eagles went 2–6–1; they failed to make the postseason during his college career. Simms finished with 409 completions in 835 attempts for a 48.9% completion percentage. He also totaled 32 touchdowns, 45 interceptions, and a school-record 5,545 yards. Morehead State renamed its football venue of Jayne Stadium to Phil Simms Stadium prior to the Eagles' 2025 homecoming game on October 18.

Reader's Guide

Before the 1979 NFL draft, new San Francisco 49ers head coach Bill Walsh flew to Morehead State with assistant coach Sam Wyche to work out Simms. Walsh was so impressed that he planned to draft Simms in the third round, preferring him over the quarterback they ultimately took, Joe Montana of Notre Dame. But the New York Giants decided to make Simms their first round pick (seventh overall) to the surprise of many. As Simms acknowledged, 'most people have never heard of me.' When Simms's name was announced by Commissioner Pete Rozelle in front of the audience at the draft in New York, his selection was booed loudly by the Giants fans in attendance. He was the second quarterback taken; Jack Thompson of Washington State went to Cincinnati with the third overall pick. Simms was not then happy being a Giant either, 'All I was thinking was which teams I would rather play for—the Green Bay Packers, the Kansas City Chiefs, San Diego, San Francisco...' But he became popular with his teammates, who jokingly dubbed him 'Prince Valiant' in his rookie training camp. Simms won the first five starts of his rookie year in 1979; finishing with a 6–4 record, threw for 1,743 yards and 13 touchdown passes, and was named to the NFL All-Rookie Team. He was runner-up for Rookie of the Year, behind future teammate Ottis Anderson. Simms' next four years were marred by injuries and inconsistent play. He finished the 1980 season with 15 touchdowns and 19 interceptions, while completing a subpar 48.0% of his passes for 2,321 yards. In 1981, Simms threw for 2,031 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 9 interceptions on 54.4% completion percentage before suffering a separated shoulder in a November 15 loss to the Washington Redskins. With Simms out, the Giants went on a run led by Scott Brunner and advanced to the second round of the playoffs. Simms suffered a torn knee ligament in a preseason game against the New York Jets, preventing him from playing the entire 1982 season. Following the season, Ray Perkins resigned as head coach to take over the same position at the University of Alabama, and was replaced by the team's defensive coordinator Bill Parcells. In the coming years this change would prove crucial to the Giants and Simms. One of Parcells' first decisions as coach was to replace Simms as the starting quarterback with Brunner.

Did You Know?

• Simms set Super Bowl records for consecutive completions (10), accuracy (88%), and passer rating (150.9) in Super Bowl XXI.
• He is credited for being the first to use the phrase 'I'm going to Disney World!' following a championship victory.
• Simms passed for 513 yards in a 1985 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, the fifth most passing yards in a single game in NFL history at the time.