CHICAGO, Ill. -- North Park University football alum David Simmons, Jr. (2015-18) will continue his professional football career with the Houston Roughnecks after being selected in Phase 5 (Open Draft) of the 2019 XFL Draft on Wednesday, October 16. Simmons represented one of 12 NCAA Division III players who had their names called in the XFL Draft and will compete for a spot on the team's 52-man roster.
Simmons earned honors as a First Team All-CCIW defender in 2018, finishing tied for 18th in total tackles during CCIW action with 59. Simmons led the Vikings with an astounding six blocked kicks, including three in one game against #17 Illinois Wesleyan to conclude his Viking career. Simmons also tallied a team second-best eight pass breakups and recovered a fumble. This marks the third All-CCIW appearance for Simmons, garnering Second Team honors in 2017 and 2015.
During his senior campaign, Simmons made 50 solo tackles, forced and recovered a fumble, and intercepted a pass. Additionally, he defended nine passes and forced three tackles for loss. Simmons showcased his depth by stepping in as the Vikings' main kick returner. In 15 attempts, he totaled 248 yards (16.5 per return) with a long of 42 yards.
The XFL is a planned professional American football league owned by Vince McMahon's Alpha Entertainment, and is headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. It is the successor to the previous XFL, which was controlled by the World Wrestling Federation (WWF, now WWE) and NBC, and ran for a single season in 2001. The league will follow a similar structure as the original XFL did in 2001, with eight teams, centrally owned and operated by the league (as opposed to the franchise model, with each team having different ownership groups) and spread across the United States in markets currently or recently represented by a National Football League (NFL) franchise, competing in a ten-game season and a two-week postseason in the winter and spring months, after Super Bowl LIV.
