Willie Simmons speaks after transferring from Florida A&M to Duke.
Willie Simmons, the head coach at Florida A&M, announced his departure in a letter to the Rattler community, thanking them for their support during his career.
Willie Simmons is leaving his post as head coach at Florida A&M to become the running backs coach at Duke University under incoming head coach Manny Diaz. The resignation was revealed by the university in a brief news conference led by Vice President of Athletics Tiffani Dawn-Sykes, as well as an official announcement.
Willie Simmons issued an open letter to the Rattler community via his social media accounts following the press conference. According to the letter:
“I’d like to begin by wishing everyone a Happy New Year from my wife Shaia and myself.” For Florida A&M University and the Rattlers Football Team, 2023 was a year to remember. Bringing a SWAC Championship, an indisputable HBCU National Championship, and the Celebration Bowl trophy back to the Highest of Seven Hills has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my 18-year collegiate coaching career.
I arrived at FAMU in 2018 with the objective of restoring Florida A&M Football to its proper place among HBCU and FCS football, and as a FAMULY, we have accomplished that.
This was not accomplished just by myself. There have been numerous individuals who have played critical roles in our achievement. I’d want to thank Dr. Larry Robinson for his guidance over the last six years. It is extremely difficult to operate a collegiate football program at an institution with as high standards as FAMU without direct support from university leadership, and I am grateful to Dr. Robinson for being present for our student-athletes. I’d want to thank Vice President and Director of Athletics Tiffani-Dawn Sykes for her assistance in making this past year one that allowed our team to win a title. Your enthusiasm is contagious, and seeing how the student-athletes react to you confirms that FAMU Athletics is on the right track. Thank you for your dedication to academic support for our student-athletes; our better academic achievement reflects that dedication. I’d want to thank my past Athletic Directors, Dr. John Eason, Kortne Gosha, and Michael Smith, for working tirelessly to stabilize the FAMU athletic department and provide a first-rate experience for all FAMU student-athletes.
I’d like to congratulate Dr. Chipman and the Incomparable Marching 100 for inventing the best post-game ceremony in collegiate sports history. Every game, standing in front of the “baddest band in the land” is a dream come true.
“Thank you” doesn’t seem adequate to express my heartfelt appreciation to the coaching and support personnel (both former and current) with whom I’ve had the privilege of working during my time here. I greatly admire and appreciate all of your efforts and sacrifices in guiding our future leaders. I will be eternally grateful for your dedication, hard work, sacrifices, and dedication to the growth of our young people in this program. I can’t forget our program’s hidden heroes: the wives who selflessly lend their husbands for long workdays and away excursions.
My heartfelt thanks go to the young men I’ve had the honor of leading. Our student-athletes’ growth and development as they believed in and committed to our goal and the hard requirements of a championship football team deserves to be recognized. Our players helped shape our culture into what it is today. They worked hard on the field and in the classroom, graduated at a high rate, helped our larger community via philanthropy and service, and made Saturday afternoons in Bragg Memorial Stadium on Ken Riley Field memorable for our adoring fan base. These young guys are our future leaders, and I am proud of them as excellent professionals, husbands, fathers, and community advocates.
Last but not least, I’d like to offer my heartfelt gratitude to Rattler Nation’s ardent supporters. There is no such thing as Rattler Nation!!! FAMUans are by far the most important aspect of the experience at the College of Love and Charity. THE FANS showed us love and support in ways that we will be eternally thankful for. Your dedication during the last week is a peek of what we’ve witnessed throughout the last six years. It is the lifeblood of a championship program and will serve as a spark for our athletic programs to reach new heights. YOU ALL answered (and beyond) every request, and my only hope is that this level of support continues in the future, as our student-athletes and coaches urgently need it. Mr. Selvin Cobb and the Rattler Boosters, Mr. Curtis Taylor and the Rattler F Club, Mr. Eddie Jackson and the 220 QB Club, Mr. Curtis Johnson and the FAMU National Alumni Association, and Dr. Shauntay Friday-Stroud and the FAMU Foundation are among those I want to thank individually. Thank you for your help!After days of passionate prayer and meditation, it is with great humility and thankfulness that my family and I have decided to enter the next phase of my coaching career. My tenure as Head Football Coach at FAMU has been genuinely incredible, and my wife and I will be eternally thankful to Rattler Nation for embracing and loving us in the way that only Rattler Nation can.
While I am pleased to begin the next step of my coaching career at the highest level of college football, I am equally enthusiastic to see what the future holds for FAMU Football. Shaia and I were Rattlers long before I became Head Football Coach, and we will be FOREVER RATTLERS no matter where my career takes us. Thank you one more FAMULY for everything. WE LOVE YOU! Keep Striking from the Top!”
Simmons left Florida A&M after only a year on the team. In his six years as head coach, he led the club to a 45-13 overall record and successfully steered them through their transition from the MEAC to the SWAC. Since joining the SWAC, Florida A&M has only lost two games, both to Deion Sanders’ Jackson State Tigers in 2021 (7-6) and 2022 (59-3).
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