University of Michigan Hall of Honor
- Induction:
- 2022
Simmons is remembered as Michigan's first women's track and field coach and the founder of "The Michigammes," the first Ann Arbor Women's Track Club, in 1960. He was fueled by the idea to allow women the chance to compete. With the passage of Title IX legislation in 1972 and recruitment by newly formed varsity programs across the country, the need for the Michigammes slowly diminished. Having proved his mettle as a coach with the Michigammes, Simmons was selected as the first women's track and field coach at U-M in 1976. The Wolverines gained varsity status two years later. In his four years as coach, the Wolverines gradually improved, finishing fourth at the unofficial 1981 Big Ten Conference outdoor meet. He coached the program's first All-America selection (AIAW), Penny Neer, before retiring in 1981. Simmons became U-M's first Honorary "M" man in 1990 and was the inaugural inductee into the Michigan Women's Track and Field Hall of Fame in 1994. The Wolverines have hosted the "Red Simmons Invitational" every year since 1981 in his honor. Simmons passed away in 2012 at the age of 102.
