Legends of Doak Campbell Stadium: DT Corey Simon

There are two players in Florida State football history that were the very best at stopping the opposition behind the line of scrimmage: Ron Simmons is one, and Corey Simon is the other.

In 1996, coach Bobby Bowden, ever the fantastic evaluator of talent and recruiter, signed the talented Simon out of Ely High School in Pompano Beach, Florida. As a senior at Ely, Simon was named the Defensive Player of the Year by the Miami Herald, selected to the USA Today All-USA team, and to the Super Prep Dream Team.

At 6-foot-2, 300 pounds, Simon recorded 44 tackles for loss during his career in the garnet and gold, the same as Simmons. In addition, Simon posted 193 career tackles. As a senior for the Seminoles in 1999, Simon and his defensive mates helped lead the charge to a national title, in a 46-29 victory over Michael Vick and the Virginia Tech Hokies.

Simon also earned Associate Press (AP) All-American honors in 1998 as a junior after posting 65 tackles and 16 tackles for loss. In addition, Simon won the ACC’s Brian Picolo Award, given to a player who exemplified exceptional character and resilience.

Simon racked up 84 tackles and a whopping 21 tackles for loss in that championship season, resulting in being named a finalist for both the Lombardi Award and the Outland Trophy. During his time in Tallahassee, Simon was a two-time first-team All-ACC performer, as well as a Consensus All-American in 1999.

The NFL took notice, and the Philadelphia Eagles selected Simon in the first round of the 2000 NFL Draft. As a rookie with the Eagles, Simon recorded 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks, forced two fumbles and recovered a fumble. For his efforts, Simon was named to the NFL All-Rookie team. Three years later, Simon was named to the Pro Bowl.

After five years in Philadelphia, Simon moved on to the Indianapolis Colts for the 2005 and 2006 seasons. Simon spent 2007 with the Tennessee Titans before calling it a career because of medical reasons.

In 2010, Simon was inducted into the Florida State Athletics Hall of Fame as one of the best to ever suit up for the Seminoles.

In 2022, Simon prepared for battle in a different arena: politics. Running as a Republican, Simon won the senate seat for the third district in the State of Florida.

The 2026 Seminoles defense will try to emulate Simon and his ferocious defensive play to make a difference on Saturdays. It may behoove coach Mike Norvell to have Simon come and speak to the defense so they can benefit from his knowledge of the game and his technique at the position.

Anything would be a big help to a team that has logged single-digit wins the past two seasons. Watch out for that fire hose stretched along the sideline, used to keep Norvell’s job from spontaneously combusting before the end of September.

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