Former Carver AD and Hall of Fame coach Simmons passes away at the age of 70
Carver athletic director and girls basketball coach Michelle Simmons passed away at the age of 70. (Contributed)
By GRAHAM DUNN
Michelle Simmons could be considered the “rock” of the G.W. Carver High School Athletic program.
She led the girls’ basketball squad for 29 years and to a state championship in 1993 plus three runners-up in 12 state tournament appearances.
On Thursday,Simmons passed away after an extended illness. She was 70 years old. “We are deeply saddened by the death of Coach Simmons,” said AHSAA Executive Director Alvin Briggs. “She was always a positive influence on everyone around her. Her love for her students and for the sport of basketball was amazing, and she set the standard for excellence for coaches during his many years as a coach and teacher.”
Simmons cut her teeth on coaching in the junior high ranks in the early 1970s, leading Loveless Junior High School for a year before coaching at Floyd for more than a decade. She led the Falcons to seven city championships and two softball titles.
In 1985, she took over the Carver girls’ basketball team, winning 558 games in her tenure.
In 1988, she was named the school’s first-ever female athletic director and held that position until retiring in 2014. She also earned Class 6A Coach of the Year honors twice.
“She has made a major impact on all who knew her,” Briggs said. “We offer our most sincere condolences and prayers to her family, her extended Montgomery Public Schools family and all her friends in Montgomery County and across the state. We pray God will sustain them during this time of such great loss.” “I found Coach Simmons to have a passion for all students at Carver High School and not just the students she coached,” stated Carver principal Gary Hall. “She dedicated almost 30 years of service to the young women and young men at Carver. Her love for the game of basketball made teaching the skills of the game challenging for those she coached.” As of Thursday, funeral arrangements had not been announced.