Monday 06/21/1999
April 17, 1998
In 1997: Became just the second ACC player (as a member of an ACC school) to be named an AP All-American for three straight years…William Perry, also of Clemson is the only other…left Clemson after junior year with a chance to become just the second four-time AP All-American (first-second or third team) in college football history….Charlie Justice of North Carolina did it 1945-48..first-team Consensus All-American, Clemson’s first consensus All-America linebacker since Levon Kirkland in 1991…named first-team AP All-American, Clemson’s first defensive player to be a first-team AP All-American since Terry Kinard in 1982…also named first-team by American Football Coaches Association and The Sporting News…it was his second straight year as a first-team Sporting News All-American…second-team choice by Football News and College & Pro Football Weekly…just second player in Clemson history to be a three-time AP All-American, William Perry is the other…first junior to be a first-team All-American from Clemson since 1982…leading tackler in the ACC, a league that had five of the top 10 Butkus candidates…also paced the league in tackles for loss with 25…has finished second in ACC Defensive Player of the Year ballotting each of the last three years…his 25 tackles for loss set a Clemson record for a single season for a linebacker…had 486 tackles in his career, second in Clemson history and just 30 short of Bubba Brown’s career record…Brown, who played four years, had 515 between 1976-79…first-team All-ACC for each of the last three years, first Clemson player to do that since Levon Kirkland in 1989-91 and just the third Tiger in history to do it (Perry is the other)…only player in Clemson history to be first-team All-ACC as a freshman, sophomore and junior…finished with 52 tackles for loss in his three years, third in Clemson history and he trails only the Perry brothers in that area…obviously the most ever by a Clemson linebacker…Clemson’s top tackler in 10 of the 12 games this year and had nine double figure tackle games…has been Clemson’s top tackler in 28 of his 36 games as a Tiger…played all 36 games in his career, 35 as a starter…finished his career in style with four tackles for loss and 14 tackles against Auburn in the Peach Bowl…his four tackles for loss set a Clemson bowl game record…had season high 19 tackles at Maryland and against North Carolina…three-time ACC Defensive player of the week, the only ACC defensive player to be named three times…he received the honor for his performance against Maryland, Wake Forest and North Carolina, three of the last five games of the season…his performance against the Tar Heels was noteworthy because he had 19 tackles and three tackles for loss…a prime reason Clemson ranked sixth in the nation in rushing defense…had outstanding game against Duke with 18 tackles, three tackles for loss and two sacks…had 12 tackles, two tackles for loss and five quarterback pressures against Florida State…had streak of 17 straight games with at least a tackle for loss to end his career, longest streak of its kind in Clemson history..recipient of the Banks McFadden Award as top college player in South Carolina for 1996 and 1997…first-team Playboy preseason All-American for 1997, Clemson’s first Playboy All-American since 1982 (Terry Kinard)…averaged a tackle every four plays over his career…
In 1996: Led the ACC in tackles per game in 1996, he was second in that category as a freshman (1995)….first player in Clemson history to reach 300 tackles in just 23 games.. Named first team All-America by Sporting News…named second team All-America by Football News…named third team All-America by the Associated Press…selected first team All-ACC by ACSWA…one of 23 Bronko Nagurski National Defensive Player Award semifinalists…Winner of 1996 Banks McFadden Award as top college football player in the state of South Carolina…one of the preseason nominees for Butkus Award for Nation’s Top Linebacker……Clemson’s top tackler with 178 in 1996, the most tackles in a season by a Tiger in Clemson history…broke the record of 175 set by Jeff Davis in 1981…Tigers top tackler in 10 of the 12 games….made 14 tackles in the Peach Bowl, including one tackle for loss of nine yards, and one quarterback pressure…..recorded a career high 20 tackles in the South Carolina game….made 17 tackles including two sacks, a PBU, and a quarterback pressure in the upset of Virginia…..that game earned him ACC Defensive Lineman-of-the-Week…had 17 tackles and a recovered fumble versus Duke….made 18 stops in the win over Georgia Tech…first-team preseason All-American as a sophomore according to the Sporting News, he adorned the cover of the Southern edition of the Sporting News preseason College Football Magazine…2nd-Team preseason All-American for 1996 by Athlon…
In 1995: National Freshman-of-the-Year by United Press International…second Clemson football player in history to win a national award, Terry Kinard was named National Defensive-Player-of-the-Year by CBS in 1982…first defensive player to win the UPI Freshman-of-the-Year award…first first-year freshman in ACC history to earn Associated Press All-America honors as an offensive or defensive player…chosen third-team AA inside linebacker by AP…only other first-year freshman in ACC history to earn a selection is Florida State’s Tamarick Vanover in 1992, but he was chosen as a kick returner…ACC Rookie of the Year and a first-team All- ACC selection (ACC Sportswriters and Football News), quite an accomplishment for a first- year freshman… honorable mention All- American by UPI and Football News… second in the voting for ACC Defensive Player of the Year to North Carolina All- American Marcus Jones…honored six times in 1995 year by the ACC, four times as the ACC Rookie of the Week and twice as the Defensive Lineman of the Week…his 150 tackles rank seventh best in Clemson history for a single season and by far a Clemson freshman record…previous record was 104 by current Minnesota Vikings starting linebacker Ed McDaniel…had 19 tackles against North Carolina and South Carolina, single game record for tackles by a first-year freshman…led Clemson in tackles in nine of the 12 games, a single season record for games leading the Tigers in tackles by a freshman… registered double figures in tackles in nine of the 12 games, he had just eight against Virginia, Maryland and Syracuse…had his finest all-around game in victory over South Carolina when he had 19 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks and a pass deflection…had 54 more tackles than any other Tiger and led the team in tackles for loss with 11 …led the team in plays per tackle with a 3.78 figure…nine double figure tackle games set a Clemson record for double figure tackle games by a Clemson freshman…first took notice with team best 14 tackles against Florida State, seven first hits and seven assists…had three tackles for loss against N.C. State when he was named Defensive Lineman of the Week by the ACC…might have had his best series of the ’95 season at N.C. State when he had tackles on three consecutive plays on a goal line stand at a key juncture in the third period…also Defensive Lineman of the Week in the ACC against Georgia Tech when he had 13 tackles and an eight-yard sack in just 47 plays…had 17 tackles against Georgia, one of his three games of 15 tackles or more….
In High School: Consensus High School Defensive Player of the Year in South Carolina in 1994…a Bluechips All-American by Max Emfinger, also a SuperPrep All-American…All-South selection by the Orlando Sentinel…led Spartanburg High to Big 16 State Championship…had 20 tackles in state championship game that was played in Death Valley…has spoken to youth groups in the offseason in Easley and Spartanburg…did not play football until the age of 15…played his high school football for Doc Davis…majoring in marketing…born 6-20-76.
Records/Rankings by Anthony Simmons*Most Tackles in a season, 178 in 1996*Most tackles in three consecutive seasons, 486, 1995-97*Most consecutive games with a Tackle for loss, 17, 1996-97*Most tackles by a freshman, 150 in 1995*Most tackles for loss by a linebacker, 52, 1995-97*Most tackles for loss by a linebacker in a season, 25, 1997*Ranked second in Clemson history in career tackles (486)*Ranked third in Clemson history in career tackles for loss (52)
Honors Summary *Second three-time All-American in Clemson history *Second three-time AP All-America in ACC History *Consensus All-American, 1997 *First-team All-American by AP, Football Coaches, Sporting News, 1997 *First-team All-ACC three straight years *One of 10 Semifinalists for Butkus Award, 1997 *Named South Carolina College Player of the Year, 1996-97
Clemson Career Tackle Leaders Rk Player Years No 1. Bubba Brown, LB 1976-79 515 2. Anthony Simmons, LB 1995-97 486 3. Jeff Davis, LB 1978-81 469 4. Ed McDaniel, LB 1988-91 389 5. Randy Scott, LB 1975-78 382 6. Tim Jones, LB 1991-94 338 7. Henry Walls, LB 1983-85 316 8. Jim Stuckey, DT 1976-79 314 9. Doug Brewster, LB 1987-90 312 10. Terry Kinard, FS 1978-82 294
Clemson Career Tackle for Loss Leaders Rk Player Years No 1. Michael Dean Perry, DT 1984-87 61 2. William Perry, DT 1981-84 60 3. Anthony Simmons, ILB 1995-97 52 4. Rob Bodine, MG 1989-91 48 5. Brentson Buckner, DT 1990-93 46 6. Randy Scott, LN 1975-78 43 7. Levon Kirkland, ILB 1988-91 40 8. Chester McGlockton, DT 1989-91 39
1995 Anthony Simmons GAME-BY-GAME STATS Date Opponent PL Hits Asts Tot TL-Yds Sk QP 9/2 *W. Carolina 31 3 7 10 9/9 Florida State 42 7 7 14 9/16 *at W. Forest 35 7 5 12 1-7 1-7 1 9/23 *Virginia 36 4 2 6 9/30 *at NC State 49 5 9 14 3-6 10/7 *Georgia 60 11 6 17 1-3 10/21 *at Maryland 42 3 5 8 10/28 *at G. Tech 47 7 6 13 1-8 1-8 1 11/4 *North Carolina 66 12 7 19 1-1 2 11/11 *Duke 51 5 5 10 1 11/18 *at S. Carolina 59 10 9 19 3-15 1.5-9 1 1/1 *Syracuse 50 4 4 8 1-3 Totals 568 78 72 150 11-43 3.5-24 3
1996 Anthony Simmons GAME-BY-GAME STATS Date Opponent PL Hits Asts Tot TFL Sks PBU QP 8/31 *North Carolina 51 7 5 12 1-5 1-5 9/7 *Furman 41 6 5 11 4-11 2-8 2 9/21 *Missouri 55 5 11 16 1-1 9/28 *Wake Forest 60 6 8 14 2-8 1-3 10/5 *Florida State 67 7 6 13 1-1 1 10/12 *Duke 63 9 8 17 10/19 *Georgia Tech 62 8 10 18 1 11/2 *Maryland 44 6 9 15 1-3 1-3 11/9 *Virginia 70 11 6 17 2-12 2-12 1 1 11/16 *N.C. State 68 6 5 11 2-7 1 2 11/23 *S. Carolina 68 12 8 20 1-1 1 12/28 *LSU 60 9 5 14 1-9 1 Totals 709 92 86 178 16-58 7-31 2 9
1997 Anthony Simmons Game by Game, 1997 Date Opponent Pl FH Ast Tot TL-Yds Sacks PB QP 9/6 *App. St. 47 3 5 8 2-9 2 1 9/13 *at NC State 46 5 2 7 2-7 1 9/20 *Florida St. 48 8 4 12 2-3 5 9/27 *at GA Tech 53 9 6 15 2-3 10/4 *UTEP 49 7 7 4 1-2 2 10/11 *Virginia 41 6 4 10 1-2 1 10/25 *at Maryland 65 11 8 19 2-11 1-10 11/1 *at W. Forest 54 8 7 15 2-16 1-9 1 3 11/8 *Duke 70 12 6 18 3-13 2-12 3 11/15 *UNC 54 12 7 19 3-18 2-17 1 3 11/22 *at USC 58 2 5 7 1-4 3 1/2 *Auburn 70 12 2 14 4-13 2-9 1 Totals 665 95 63 158 25-101 8-57 4 22
SIMMONS CAREER STATS Year GP-GS PL Hits Ast Tot TFL Sacks PB QP CF-RF 1995 12-11 568 78 72 150 11-43 3.5-42 3 3 0-0 1996 12-12 709 92 86 178 16-58 7-31 2 9 2-1 1997 12-12 665 95 63 158 25-101 8-57 4 22 3-0 Totals 36-35 1942 265 221 486 52-202 18.5-130 9 34 5-1
December 8, 2024
