Mark Lee Simoneau (born January 16, 1977) is a former American college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for ten seasons. 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 ...

for

Kansas State University Kansas State University (KSU, Kansas State, or K-State) is a public land-grant research university with its main campus in Manhattan, Kansas, United States. It was opened as the state's land-grant college in 1863 and was the first public instit ...

and was recognized as an All-American. He was picked by the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

in the third round of the

2000 NFL Draft The 2000 NFL Draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur U.S. college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 15– 16, 2000, at the Thea ...

, and played for the Falcons,

Philadelphia Eagles The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia. The Eagles compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East division. The team plays ...

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

and

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

of the NFL.

Early years

Simoneau was born in

Phillipsburg, Kansas Phillipsburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Phillips County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2020 census, its population was 2,337. History Phillipsburg was organized in 1872 and named the county seat due to its central location in t ...

. He played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Smith Center High School Smith Center High School is a public high school located in Smith Center, Kansas, United States. It is the sole high school operated by Smith Center USD 237 school district, and serves students of grades 7 to 12. The school colors are red and ...

in Smith Center, Kansas. He was a top 11 all-state (all classifications) selection at running back and linebacker for the Smith Center Redmen. He was also the 1995 Class 3A state

shot put The shot put is a track and field event involving "putting" (throwing) a heavy spherical ball—the ''shot''—as far as possible. The shot put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and women's ...

champion, and a former record holder, throwing over 60 feet as a senior.

College career

Simoneau attended

, where he played for the

Kansas State Wildcats football The Kansas State Wildcats football program (variously Kansas State, K-State or KSU) is the college football, intercollegiate football program of the Kansas State University Kansas State Wildcats, Wildcats. The program is classified in the NCAA Di ...

team from 1996 to 1999. He was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American and the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

Defensive Player of the Year after the 1999 season. He registered 400 tackles during his college career at Kansas State. Simoneau was honored for his college career with induction into the

College Football Hall of Fame The College Football Hall of Fame is a hall of fame and interactive attraction devoted to college football. The National Football Foundation (NFF) founded the Hall in 1951 to immortalize the players and coaches of college football that were vote ...

in December 2012. He became only the second Kansas State player so recognized, the first being another former Wildcat linebacker,

Gary Spani Gary Spani (born January 9, 1956) is a former NFL linebacker who played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1978–1986. He has worked for the Chiefs' front office since 1989, and is currently the Director of Special Events for the Chiefs. Spani wa ...

Professional career

Atlanta Falcons

Simoneau was drafted by the

in the third round of the

Philadelphia Eagles

Simoneau was traded to the

in March 2003, and signed a five-year contract with the team. Simoneau was acquired by the

prior to the

2003 season 3 (three) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 2 and preceding 4, and is the smallest odd prime number and the only prime preceding a square number. It has religious or cultural significance in many societie ...

, and led the team in tackles that year. During the 2005 season, Simoneau kicked a PAT for his first NFL points. The last defensive player to kick an extra point had been

Ted Thompson Ted Thompson (January 17, 1953 – January 20, 2021) was an American professional football player and executive in the National Football League (NFL). He was the general manager of the Green Bay Packers from 2005 to 2017. Thompson had a 10-y ...

of the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 as ...

on November 23, 1980.

New Orleans Saints

On August 28, 2006, Simoneau was traded to the

along with a conditional fourth-round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft for

Donté Stallworth Donté Lamar Stallworth (born November 10, 1980) is a former American football wide receiver who played ten seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Tennessee and was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the ...

. He was placed on season-ending

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on August 16, 2009 with a torn triceps muscle. He was released on March 4, 2010.

Kansas City Chiefs

Simoneau was signed by the

on October 27, 2010. He was placed on

on November 17, and announced his retirement from the NFL on November 18.

NFL statistics

Coaching

Mark is now the Head Football Coach at Shawnee Mission East High School in Prairie Village, KS.

References

External links

Kansas City Chiefs bioNew Orleans Saints bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simoneau, Mark 1977 births Living people All-American college football players American football linebackers Atlanta Falcons players College Football Hall of Fame inductees Kansas City Chiefs players Kansas State Wildcats football players New Orleans Saints players People from Phillipsburg, Kansas People from Smith Center, Kansas Philadelphia Eagles players Players of American football from Kansas