Former Cal Poly coach, ‘godfather of track and field,’ dies at 82

The Cal Poly sports community is mourning the loss of Hall of Famer and former track and field coach Steve Simmons, who died June 4 at 82 years old, the university announced Friday.

Simmons, known by some as the “godfather of track and field,” served as Cal Poly’s track and field coach from 1971 to 1975, according to a Cal Poly news release.

During his tenure, he coached 12 national champions, including four at the Division 1 level, along with 45 All-Americans, three Olympians and two USA Track and Field champions, according to the release.

His athletes also set 20 NCAA records, eight conference records and 16 school records at Cal Poly.

During Simmons’s first year at the helm of Cal Poly’s track and field program, he led the Mustangs to an NCAA Division 2 runner-up finish and third-place finishes in 1974 and 1975.

But his impact on the program went well beyond the accolades of the athletes he produced. Simmons had a vision for both former and current athletes that extended past competition.

According to the release, he helped many black student athletes adjust to college life, mentored and developed younger coaches and supported former athletes in staying involved in the sport after their playing days ended.

In recognition of his contributions to the program, Simmons was inducted into the Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame in 2003, joining what has since grown to 153 total inductees.

After leaving Cal Poly, Simmons took over the track and field program at Oregon State in 1976, where he produced three Olympians and led Kasheef Hassan to the NCAA 400-meter title in 1979.

After a stint coaching in Corvallis that saw his athletes capture six Pac-8 Conference individual event golds and five NCAA All-America honors, Simmons moved on from collegiate coaching in 1979.

Simmons stayed heavily involved at the national and international level as a coach and manager for the United States at numerous regional and global events after collegiate coaching.

Simmons is survived by his wife of 58 years, Donna; his daughter, Catherine; his son, Peter; and his grandchildren, according to the release.