NSR Area Director teaches prospects to learn from his mistakes

Virginia’s high school football Player of the Year.  Not bad.  Recruited by some of the region’s premier college football programs. Even better.

But for Jim Simpson, National Scouting Report’s Northern Virginia area director, that’s where the good news ended — or so it seemed — in 1976.

“My story should have been an athletic success story,” said Jim, 56.  “It’s definitely a story to avoid if you’re a player or have a player as part of your family interested in playing in college.  It’s a painful past, but a good reason why my sons were later so successful.  I truly don’t want other potential athletes experience what I did.”

After leading Falls Church High School to the Virginia state 1A championship game in 1976, Jim was one of the top quarterback recruits in the Mid-Atlantic region.

“Back then, it was D-I or bust where we came from, so everyone headed for the biggest, brightest lights,” Jim said. “Only problem, I was a tad small at 6 feet, 175 pounds, yet still able to play D-I.  In hindsight, I could have had a much more successful career in a lower division.  I signed at D-I William & Mary, which later pulled the scholarship.”

The reason the school gave Jim was that his SAT verbal score was too low.  National Letter of Intent rules in the mid- to late-’70s were much different than today’s far more rigid requirements.

Jim then signed a second NLI, this time with another in-state program, Virginia Military Institute, but once again the vagaries of how the NLI worked allowed Army to come calling and recruit Jim away from VMI.  U.S. military academies were exceptions to most all recruiting rules at the time and the staff at Army, knowing about Jim’s stellar high school career, jumped at the chance to land him.  However, military life was not for Jim. In midseason, Army’s No. 2 signal-caller transferred to Virginia Tech, his fourth D-I school in less than a year out of high school.

Finally, Jim thought he was back on track. Not so fast. Virginia Tech’s entire coaching staff was fired following the season.  The new coach said openly, “I don’t expect to win the first year or so because the players aren’t mine.”  Not exactly a good omen for a walk-on transfer.  So, Jim started looking again for a spot to land and stay. He chose West Virginia University.

After Jim was named the Mountaineers’ starting safety (the coaches had moved him to defense during spring practice), something went awry again before the start of the season. Jim’s quarter-based courses at Virginia Tech would not transfer to WVU’s semester-based system.

By now, Jim resigned himself to the fact that football simply wasn’t in his future.

“I use my life lesson and make it my business to help others do what’s needed specifically for them to be successful,” Jim said. “I really didn’t want to think about it again, but my experience does motivate me to keep all of my athletes from repeating my story. At 18 years old, I just really believe most athletes and their families need more than just a little guidance.  I’m certain that my family and I could have used some help, and now I have a great platform to work from with my players and their families today.”