Jeff Simons was a two-time state qualifier and place-winner as a high school wrestler in Illinois, including winning the state championship as a senior.

He went on to be a four-year varsity letter winner, three-time NCAA qualifier and an NCAA All-American for the U.S. Naval Academy.

Simons was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps, serving as a supply officer and earning three letters of commendation and the Navy Achievement medal. He left the military as a captain in 1980.

In his post-collegiate wrestling career, while in the Marines, Simons was a nine-time gold medalist in the Inter-Service Championships as a competitor, never losing a match. He was a silver medalist in the International Military Sports Council Games in Tehran, Iran, in 1978, and a gold medalist in the CISM Games in Baghdad, Iraq, in 1979.

Simons was a two-time gold medalist as a coach of the All-Marine Wrestling Team, leading the All-Marine Team to its first-ever win in the Inter-Service Championships and repeating the following year. He mentored multiple national champions, World Team members and two Olympians. While in the Marines, he was also a national freestyle runner-up, a national Greco-Roman champion and a member of two U.S. World Teams and an alternate on a third. He finished fourth at the 1977 Greco-Roman World Championships and was a champion at the Cerro Pelado International Tournament in Camaguey, Cuba. He also served as the athlete’s representative for Greco-Roman from 1978-80.

Simons officiated for five years in Georgia, working three state tournaments, and has officiated for 24 years in Ohio, including multiple district tournaments and six state tournaments. He has also officiated Beast of the East and the Iron Man.

He continues to help high school wrestlers in Greco-Roman.