(Originally posted on ScalpEm.com.)
Last weekend marked a momentous occasion for one of Bobby Bowden's first great players. Ron Simmons, who played for FSU from 1977 to 1980, was enshrined into the College Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
(Question: Why does this article say he was inducted back in 2008? I am confused. Is there a difference between enshrined and inducted?)
Being a bit too young to remember Simmons in a Nole uniform, most of my memories of him center around his pro wrestling career, where he won several titles in the WWF and WCW. I even got his autograph when WWF Smackdown came to Tallahassee in 1999.
That wrestling event surprisingly pulled even the toughest Seminole heartstrings. When Simmons, then known as Farooq, and his tag team partner, Bradshaw, came down the aisle, the Civic Center crowd went absolutely nuts, breaking out in the Seminole Chant. You could even see that Simmons, normally a tough guy in the ring, was a little emotional about his "homecoming". He wasted no time when he got in the ring, jumping on the turnbuckles and leading the crowd in their chanting and chopping.
As for Simmons and Bradshaw's opponents, the Mean Street Posse, well, they didn't stand a chance. Simmons and Bradshaw beat them in about 2 minutes, with Simmons dealing the final knock-out via a fitting chop to his opponent's head. Victorious, Simmons walked back up the ramp to the sound of more chanting and the sight of more tomahawk chopping.
So congrats to Ron Simmons on becoming the latest Seminole in the College Football Hall of Fame.
Damn.
