Historic Oklahoma State head coach Bob Simmons died Tuesday at the age of 77.
The cause of his death is unknown, as of Wednesday afternoon.
“We are saddened by the loss of former Cowboy Football Head Coach Bob Simmons,” Oklahoma State posted to its X account Tuesday night.
Even though his tenure with the Cowboys lasted just six seasons, Simmons produced many historic moments during his time in college football.
Simmons was the first-ever African American coach in Oklahoma State history and remains the only African American coach for the Cowboys.
Before becoming a coach, Simmons played football at Bowling Green for three seasons.
He entered coaching in 1976, and won the national championship while serving as Colorado’s linebackers coach in 1990.
Simmons took over Oklahoma State in 1995 and his best season with the program came in 1997, when he led the Cowboys to an 8-4 record and a No. 12 ranking at one point.
The Cowboys lost 33-20 to Purdue in the Alamo Bowl.
Another legendary moment for Simmons came in his first year guiding the program when his Cowboys defeated rival Oklahoma for the first time in 19 years.
Simmons’ teams went 3-3 against the Sooners in the Bedlam Series.
He resigned as head coach after the 2000 season after three straight losing campaigns, and finished with a 30-38 mark leading the program.
Simmons never served as a college head coach again, although he worked as positional coach for Notre Dame and Washington.
