Tom Simpson (2008) - Hall of Fame

Tom Simpson

Induction:
2008
Class:
1965

Waterloo West High School’s standout left-handed pitcher didn’t have to leave the Cedar Valley to find success in baseball at the collegiate level. After a successful high school campaign at West, Simpson traded in his maroon and black for the Purple and Gold and rewrote the pitching record books at the State College of Iowa.

In his career for the Panthers, Simpson put together quite an impressive resume. In the three years Simpson was on the team, SCI compiled a 35-18-1 record and played its way to two North Central Conference championships. Simpson still holds UNI pitching records for consecutive wins (10), consecutive scoreless innings (40) and complete games (15), while sitting second on UNI’s all-time pitching records for career ERA (1.17), single-season ERA (.38) and strikeouts per nine innings (11.10). Simpson earned North Central Conference first-team accolades in 1963, 1964 and 1965.

Following his successful baseball career at SCI and earning his bachelor’s degree in education, Simpson continued playing the sport he loved, completing one season in the Boston Red Sox’s farm system. Simpson was then drawn back to Iowa to pursue a career in coaching.

Returning to his high school alma mater, he began a nearly 30-year coaching tenure, that involved not only Waterloo West High School, but also a high school in Athens, Ga. Simpson coached baseball at Waterloo West from 1966-1983 and then left his hometown for Georgia in the mid-1980s. Simpson returned to coaching in Georgia in 1989. Over the course of Simpson’s coaching career he was able to coach four players who later went on to sign professional baseball contracts.

Along with Simpson’s knack for coaching, he continued to follow his passion for the game by playing on eight teams that won state championships in the Iowa State Amateur Baseball Association. Simpson has also been inducted into the Waterloo West Hall of Fame.