Photo by: Austin Perryman/MSU Athletics
Simmons Continues Giving Back To The Community
May 19, 2022 | Football
STARKVILLE – Jeffery Simmons commitment to giving back to the community was on full display Wednesday evening.
The former Mississippi State standout and current Tennessee Titans' defensive tackle attended his younger sister's graduation in Nashville then chartered a private jet on his own dime to fly back to Starkville to help the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle raise money at their annual charity fundraiser.
"My passion is giving to the kids," Simmons said. "From my camp to coming to fund raisers like this, it's about the kids. We need to keep instilling in these kids that getting an education is bigger than being in these streets and bigger than sports. We need to raise these kids to be young men and young women the right way."
Having an NFL Pro Bowler headline the event helped the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle raise more than $15,000 according to President and CEO Ron Thornton.
"It meant the world to us and shows the community how people should be," Thornton said. "He gave back just because and wasn't looking for anything in return. He took time out of his schedule and chartered his own flight to get here. That just speaks volumes about his character, and we truly appreciate that."
Simmons joined WCBI News anchors Aundrea Self and Jon Sokoloff on stage for a "Sports Talk" session in front of a packed crowd inside the Bryan Building at Simmons' alma mater. Among those in attendance were MSU soccer coach James Armstrong and new women's basketball coach Sam Purcell.
Simmons, a former All-American and All-SEC standout for the Bulldogs, spoke about his humble upbringing in Macon and his desire to inspire children in the area to get an education while also giving something back to his former schools, Mississippi State and Noxubee County.
In addition to speaking at the dinner, Simmons also visited the Starkville Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday afternoon as well.
"It's always an honor for me to come back, especially in my hometown," Simmons said. "I didn't grow up here in Starkville, I grew up right down the road in Macon. But this is still home for me, and I went to school here so it's always good to come back and give back to these young kids."
Simmons spent three seasons in the trenches at MSU from 2016-18 and had already started his charitable contributions in the community back then. He visited Camp Rising Sun and spoke regularly at area elementary schools to help motivate students and stress the importance of getting an education.
Wednesday was also the second public appearance Simmons has made on MSU's campus in a little over a month. He attended Super Bulldog Weekend alongside fellow NFL players Willie Gay, Kobe Jones and Tyre Phillips and talked to the current team about his time in Maroon and White.
"Mississippi State will always mean a lot to me," Simmons said. "It's hard to put into words. As a young kid from Macon, Mississippi, this school took me in and gave me an opportunity to be where I'm at today. I will forever be grateful for not just football here at Mississippi State, but for the people that I met here. We're a family here."
Simmons will also return later this summer to hold his annual football camp at the Starkville Sportsplex on July 8-9 alongside some of his former college teammates and high school coaches.
It was also announced that Noxubee County High School will be naming its field house after Simmons later this summer. The former first round NFL draft pick now entering his fourth season in the league arranged to have the Tigers' locker room remodeled, complete with new weight equipment.
"I got with my team and asked them 'how can we make this weight room look better?'," Simmons said. "We came up with a plan and decided to basically just redo the whole inside of the locker room. We put six or eight racks in there with brand new weights. We painted it and got it looking good. I'm excited to see it. Hopefully, we can keep it going and actually keep building on it."
For more information on the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle, visit bgcgoldentri.org or call 662-615-9980.
The former Mississippi State standout and current Tennessee Titans' defensive tackle attended his younger sister's graduation in Nashville then chartered a private jet on his own dime to fly back to Starkville to help the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle raise money at their annual charity fundraiser.
"My passion is giving to the kids," Simmons said. "From my camp to coming to fund raisers like this, it's about the kids. We need to keep instilling in these kids that getting an education is bigger than being in these streets and bigger than sports. We need to raise these kids to be young men and young women the right way."
Having an NFL Pro Bowler headline the event helped the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle raise more than $15,000 according to President and CEO Ron Thornton.
"It meant the world to us and shows the community how people should be," Thornton said. "He gave back just because and wasn't looking for anything in return. He took time out of his schedule and chartered his own flight to get here. That just speaks volumes about his character, and we truly appreciate that."
Simmons joined WCBI News anchors Aundrea Self and Jon Sokoloff on stage for a "Sports Talk" session in front of a packed crowd inside the Bryan Building at Simmons' alma mater. Among those in attendance were MSU soccer coach James Armstrong and new women's basketball coach Sam Purcell.
Simmons, a former All-American and All-SEC standout for the Bulldogs, spoke about his humble upbringing in Macon and his desire to inspire children in the area to get an education while also giving something back to his former schools, Mississippi State and Noxubee County.
In addition to speaking at the dinner, Simmons also visited the Starkville Boys and Girls Club on Wednesday afternoon as well.
"It's always an honor for me to come back, especially in my hometown," Simmons said. "I didn't grow up here in Starkville, I grew up right down the road in Macon. But this is still home for me, and I went to school here so it's always good to come back and give back to these young kids."
Simmons spent three seasons in the trenches at MSU from 2016-18 and had already started his charitable contributions in the community back then. He visited Camp Rising Sun and spoke regularly at area elementary schools to help motivate students and stress the importance of getting an education.
Wednesday was also the second public appearance Simmons has made on MSU's campus in a little over a month. He attended Super Bulldog Weekend alongside fellow NFL players Willie Gay, Kobe Jones and Tyre Phillips and talked to the current team about his time in Maroon and White.
"Mississippi State will always mean a lot to me," Simmons said. "It's hard to put into words. As a young kid from Macon, Mississippi, this school took me in and gave me an opportunity to be where I'm at today. I will forever be grateful for not just football here at Mississippi State, but for the people that I met here. We're a family here."
Simmons will also return later this summer to hold his annual football camp at the Starkville Sportsplex on July 8-9 alongside some of his former college teammates and high school coaches.
It was also announced that Noxubee County High School will be naming its field house after Simmons later this summer. The former first round NFL draft pick now entering his fourth season in the league arranged to have the Tigers' locker room remodeled, complete with new weight equipment.
"I got with my team and asked them 'how can we make this weight room look better?'," Simmons said. "We came up with a plan and decided to basically just redo the whole inside of the locker room. We put six or eight racks in there with brand new weights. We painted it and got it looking good. I'm excited to see it. Hopefully, we can keep it going and actually keep building on it."
For more information on the Boys and Girls Clubs of the Golden Triangle, visit bgcgoldentri.org or call 662-615-9980.
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