Inductees

When Greg Simpkins arrived in West Plains in 1990, it reminded him of home.

The setting, the people, the values all made Simpkins think about his days growing up and playing football in Cassville.

“They’re both towns and programs made up of good people, with a great Ozarks living, and nice places to live and raise a family,” Simpkins said. “No person or place is perfect, but West Plains’ leadership seemed consistent, with a good deal of common sense.”

Simpkins settled down in West Plains and made his mark on Zizzer country. For 31 years at the school, including 21 years as head coach, Simpkins not only led the Zizzers to success on the field, his work as athletic director was vital in ushering the school’s programs into new eras.

For that, and more, the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame proudly inducted Simpkins into the Class of 2025.

After playing at Cassville High School, football became somewhat of an obsession during his days at Arkansas Tech. Not knowing what came next after his senior season, he visited Wonderboys coach Harold Steelman, who brought him on as a graduate assistant.

He spent three years helping coach both sides of the ball at Arkansas Tech before getting his first real job in football as an assistant for Tom Hodge (MSHOF 2016) at Seneca High School.

He later served as head coach at Seneca for a season before moving to West Plains. There, he compiled a 121-93 record and led the Zizzers to four South Central Association championships, three district championships, and four playoff appearances.

Simpkins spent 19 years as athletic/activities director at West Plains, and his hiring of coach Steve Ary – and securing MSHSAA’s approval for a co-op format for rural junior high school students – greatly enhanced the football program.

“Steve may have questioned his decision during those first couple years,” Simpkins said. “But by this third year, when our first co-op group were juniors and seniors, they flipped the program forward and it hasn’t been the same since.”

He was also the lead fundraiser for athletic facility improvements, including a video scoreboard, sound system, press box and turf for the field at Zizzer Stadium.

“What is notable and what I am proud of is our community invested in our program and students when we were in the middle of an 0-20 string of losses,” Simpkins said. “That’s two seasons of 0-10, back-to-back. Having people who can see what can be, even in difficult times, and then follow through with commitments, that’s very special. There are a lot of good folks in West Plains that care, and in my opinion, they are the real hall of famers.”

Simpkins recalls an up-and-down first season leading West Plains, but two wins – the opener against Lebanon and a homecoming upset of Salem – paved the way for success in the coming years.

“We had a strong freshman class and they got on board with our way of doing things,” he said. “Our third year was the beginning of several 8-2 and 9-1 seasons, winning four SCA championships.”

Simpkins says, like any program, the success of West Plains was even more meaningful because of the obstacles each team overcame.

He recalls his first district championship in 2004, despite losing an assistant, the homecoming game being delayed by a streaker, and the team playing in a new district.

“Our seniors kept their poise and remained focused,” Simpkins said. “They showed improvement each game and eventually won their first district championship.”

He also thinks about the 1995 season, when the Zizzers didn’t have a returning starting running back. He and the coaching staff turned to a running back by committee approach (a move he recalls as “terrible coaching”) until the third game, when they noticed their wide receiver was outrunning opponents and running through tackles.

“Needless to say, we found another wide receiver,” Simpkins said.

The support of his wife, Deanna, and children Brant, Cameron and Kalie meant everything. He also thanks mentors such as Seneca’s Hodge and West Plains’ Joe Bill Dixon.

Some of the most challenging moments came off the field. During the 1990s, the West Plains program lost three athletes who had played all four years – two with Leukemia and one in ministry work.

“It is difficult to discuss losing a player prematurely,” he said. “They were outstanding individuals that we hone in memory by establishing awards in their names, the Timmy DeShazo ‘Hustle’ Award, the Jamie Brill ‘How’ Award and the Sane Cameron ‘Heart’ Award. Football is family.”