John Simon

John Simon, a veteran of the NFL, and former motivational speaker, high school coach and administrator, enters his third season as running backs coach at Arizona State University. 
 
Under Simon, the Sun Devil's saw one of the largest turnarounds in the running game in the second half of the season in recent memory, leading to one of the top rushing attacks in the nation. According to Pro Football Focus, the Sun Devils finished the regular season with the 30^th-highest graded rushing game this season after having the 41st worst-graded attack in 2016. 

ASU has 26 rushing touchdowns this year as it reached 25 rushing touchdowns for the fourth time in the last six seasons. Those four times are notable as the Devils had just three previous seasons with at least 25 rushing touchdowns from 1980-2011 (1985, 1986 and 1996).

In Simon’s first season working with ASU’s ball carriers the Sun Devils accounted for 27 touchdowns on the ground, eight more than the 2015 squad. Kalen Ballage finished 26th in the nation and second in the Pac-12 with 14 rushing touchdowns. In an early season win over Texas Tech Ballage tied an FBS record with eight total touchdowns (seven rushing, one receiving). He also tied the FBS record for touchdowns in a quarter with four in the second quarter of the contest. Ballage (44 receptions), and backfield mate Demario Richard (17 receptions), were also effective caching the ball as both backs tallied double-digit receptions totals.
 
Prior to arriving in Tempe Simon spent three seasons at Southern Miss before he was hired as the wide receivers coach at Louisiana-Lafayette on Feb. 5, 2016. 
  
Simon mentored a pair of 1,000-yard rushers at Southern Miss in 2015 and the Golden Eagles were one of just five programs in the Football Bowl Division to have two running backs collect at least 1,000 yards on the ground.
 
“I’m excited to be a part of the history and the culture here,” Simon said.  “This is a natural fit for me, especially to be coaching running backs. I am so thankful for the opportunity."
 
Under Simon’s tutelage, running backs Jalen Richard and Ito Smith combined for more than 3,000 total yards, including 2,200 yards on the ground, and 29 total touchdowns in 2015 en route to Conference USA first- and second-team honors, respectively. Smith ranked 18th in the nation with 134 all-purpose yards per game in 2015. Simon also had a knack for involving his running backs in the passing game as evidenced by the more than 800 combined receiving yards out of the backfield in 2015.
 
Simon was part of an offensive coaching staff that helped the Golden Eagles break five major offensive single-season school records in 2015, and notch a 10-win season that included a Conference USA West Division title and a berth in the Zaxby’s Heart of Dallas Bowl against the University of Washington.
 
Simon spent three years in the National Football League, including the 2002 season with the Tennessee Titans and 2003-04 season with the Washington Redskins.

Following his professional football career, Simon worked as a motivational speaker geared toward at-risk youth through his non-profit organization I.M.A.G.E., which focused on improving minority areas.
 
Prior to his time at USM, Simon spent five years (2008-12) in a variety of roles at Franklin D. Roosevelt High School in Dallas, including position coach, coordinator, head coach, and athletics director. Simon began his coaching career as receivers coach at the school in 2008 before he moved to the other side of the ball as the defensive coordinator and secondary coach in 2009. He became the special teams coordinator, secondary coach, and assistant athletics director in 2010, and was the interim head coach and athletics director the following season. He made the move into administration full time in 2012 as the school’s athletics director.
 
Simon has participated in the NFLPA Coaching Symposium and NFL-NCAA Coaches Academy, and is active at numerous seminars across the country, including the THSCA Coaches Convention and AFCA Coaches Convention.
 
Simon gained more than 4,800 all-purpose yards and caught a pass in a then-NCAA record 36 consecutive games as a four-year starter at Louisiana Tech University from 1998 through 2001. He helped lead the Bulldogs to the program’s first Western Athletic Conference Championship and bowl appearance in 11 years as a senior in in 2001. Simon, who moved to wide receiver as a senior, received the 2001 Humanitarian Award at the Humanitarian Bowl and was a recipient of the Louisiana Tech President’s Award.
 
Simon earned his bachelor's degree in business from Louisiana Tech. He and his wife, Cecelia, have two children, John IV and James.