JOHN SIMMONS

CONTRIBUTOR

Born: September 25, 1957; Alton, Illinois
Position: Owner

By Steve Porter

John Simmons is well-known as a powerhouse attorney and a charitable benefactor for area communities and their projects. He is recognized for what not only he has accomplished for himself, but what he has done for others Philanthropy is his game and there are few like them in that class. Simmons is also a distinguished sports owner, contributor, and enthusiast. It’s no wonder he’s one of the celebrated individuals to be enshrined as a Sports Contributor into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame for 2024.

Simmons has done it all, on and off the field, notably Sports Administration.

It all started at Roxana High School, where he graduated in 1985. “I ran cross country, track and played football for legendary coach Charlie Raich,” Simmons said. The late Raich, a Hall of Fame grid coach, guided the Shells to a 190-94 record in 29 seasons.

Following high school, Simmons married his sweetheart, Jayne, and he joined the Army. After serving as a combat engineer, Simmons returned to East Alton and then went on to study political science at SIUE. The trajectory of his remarkable career began to rise. He became a lawyer and eventually started a national law company at Alton in 2011. Today, Simmons, Hanly and Cooper are staples of Madison County and regarded as one of the most recognized law firms in the country. They also have offices in St. Louis, New York City, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

His dedication for service and commitment to quality led Simmons on another journey – into baseball. “I used to tell my boys that baseball is the best game because every time the ball leaves the pitcher’s hand, anything can happen,” he said. “I became a big baseball fan.”

Thanks to Simmons and his staunch support, the SIUE Cougars developed and expanded their baseball field off Bluff Road. The Cougars play on Roy E. Lee Field – named for their first coach – and the facility is named the Simmons Baseball Complex. Simmons also serves as a member of the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees. He was enshrined in the SIUE Hall of Fame in 2012 and proved instrumental in getting the Cougars to go full Division I.

Baseball became one of Simmons’ true passions. He and Jayne owned a team, the Southern Illinois Miners, in the Class A independent Frontier League, which includes the Gateway Grizzlies of nearby Sauget.

They owned the team for 14 seasons before selling it in 2021. “It was a bittersweet decision for us because we love the southern Illinois community and our family roots run deep here,” Simmons said.

Former Frontier League President Bill Lee, a member of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Hall committee, said: “It was an honor having John and Jayne Simmons in the Frontier League. Through the Miners team, they gave a great deal of themselves to the league and the entire area Southern Illinois area. They were first-class owners.”

John and Jayne also had ownership of the Class A Savannah, Ga., Sand Gnats, an affiliate of the Washington Nationals. An Atlanta group purchased the franchise from them.

“When I was in the Army, I watched a game in Savannah for $1,” Simmons said of the-then Cardinals’ farm team. “And then one day I owned the team.” He wouldn’t have had it any other way.