Cleo Simmons (born October 21, 1960) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys. He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

at Jackson State University.

Early years

Simmons attended

Murphy High School Murphy High School may refer to: * Murphy High School (Alabama), United States * Murphy High School (North Carolina) Murphy High School (MHS) is a public high school in Murphy, North Carolina, it serves grades 9–12 and is one of only three ...

, where he practiced football and basketball. He played as a linebacker and safety. He accepted a football scholarship from Jackson State University. He was converted into a tight end, playing mainly on special teams in his first years. As a junior, he became a starter. As a senior, he led the team with 46 receptions for 712 yards and 7 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 54 receptions for 894 yards and 8 touchdowns.

Professional career

Dallas Cowboys

Simmons was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Dallas Cowboys after the

1983 NFL Draft The 1983 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1983, at the New York She ...

. He was waived on August 29. He was recalled off waivers on August 30, making the team's roster over fourth round draft choice

Chris Faulkner Christopher Alan Faulkner (born April 13, 1960) is a former American football tight end in the National Football League (NFL) for the Los Angeles Rams, San Diego Chargers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the four ...

. As a rookie, he was the third-string tight end. He was released on August 14,

1984 Events January * January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888. * January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...

Indianapolis Colts

On March 20,

1985 The year 1985 was designated as the International Youth Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 ** The Internet's Domain Name System is created. ** Greenland withdraws from the European Economic Community as a result of a ...

, he was signed as a free agent by the

Indianapolis Colts The Indianapolis Colts are a professional American football team based in Indianapolis. The Colts compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) South division. Since the 2008 ...

. He was cut on August 19.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmons, Cleo 1960 births Living people Players of American football from Mobile, Alabama American football tight ends Jackson State Tigers football players Dallas Cowboys players