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Corey Simon

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Corey Simon
Member of the Florida Senate
from the 3rd district
Incumbent
Assumed office
November 8, 2022
Preceded byLoranne Ausley
Personal details
Born
Corey Jermaine Simon

(1977-03-02) March 2, 1977 (age 47)
Pompano Beach, Florida, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
Spouse
Natasha Givens
​
(m. 2001)​
Children1
EducationFlorida State University
Websitehttps://simonforflorida.com/
American football career
No. 90, 97, 96
Position:Defensive tackle
Personal information
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:320 lb (145 kg)
Career information
High school:Blanche Ely
(Pompano Beach, Florida)
College:Florida State (1996–1999)
NFL draft:2000 / round: 1 / pick: 6
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:246
Sacks:32.0
Forced fumbles:9
Fumble recoveries:3
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Corey Jermaine Simon Sr. (born March 2, 1977) is an American politician and former professional football player. A member of the Republican Party, he has served as the Florida State Senator from the 3rd district since 2022. He played as a defensive tackle for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL).

He played college football for the Florida State Seminoles, earned consensus All-American honors, and was a member of a BCS National Championship team. He was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles with the sixth overall pick in the 2000 NFL draft, and he played professionally for the Eagles, Indianapolis Colts and Tennessee Titans. He was selected to the 2004 Pro Bowl.

Early life

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Simon was born in Pompano Beach, Florida. He attended Blanche Ely High School, where he played for the Ely Mighty Tigers high school football team. As a senior, he was the Miami Herald's defensive player of the year, named to the All-USA squad by USA Today, and a Super Prep Dream Team selection.

College career

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Simon accepted an athletic scholarship to attend Florida State University, where he played for coach Bobby Bowden's Seminoles teams from 1996 to 1999. He was considered to be the most dominating defensive lineman in college football. Following his senior season, Simon was a first-team All-Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) selection, and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American.[1] He was also a finalist for the Lombardi Award and Outland Trophy. He ended his career at FSU by helping his team win a BCS National Championship. His 44 tackles behind the line of scrimmage tied the Seminoles' career record set by Ron Simmons.

Professional career

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Philadelphia Eagles

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Simon in 2004

The Philadelphia Eagles selected him in the first round (sixth pick overall) of the 2000 NFL draft, and he played for the Eagles from 2000 until 2004.[2] He started in four NFC Championship games during his six seasons with the Eagles. Philadelphia reached the Super Bowl once during these years, losing Super Bowl XXXIX to the New England Patriots, 24–21. After the 2004 season, the Eagles placed the franchise tag on Simon,[3] which he refused to sign. After contract negotiations failed to produce a long-term deal, the Eagles lifted the franchise tag, making Simon an unrestricted free agent.[4]

Indianapolis Colts

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Simon signed with the Indianapolis Colts, for whom he played the entire 2005 season. In 2006, Simon underwent surgery, was placed on the Physically Unable to Perform / Non-Football Injury list during training camp, and did not play in any games. He did not attend Super Bowl XLI with other inactive players. However, he was still delivered a ring. He was once coined "the missing piece to the Super Bowl puzzle".

On August 1, 2007, Colts owner Jim Irsay stated that Simon's release from the team was imminent, once a settlement could be reached. The team announced Simon's release on August 4.[5]

Tennessee Titans

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On August 28, 2007, the Tennessee Titans signed Simon.[6] On October 25, Simon announced that he was retiring from professional football after eight seasons in the NFL because of polyarthritis.[7]

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Won the Super Bowl
Led the league
Bold Career high
Year Team GP Tackles Fumbles Interceptions
Cmb Solo Ast Sck FF FR Int Yds Avg Lng TD PD
2000 PHI 16 52 38 14 9.5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
2001 PHI 16 47 36 11 7.5 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 3
2002 PHI 14 40 33 7 2.0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 3
2003 PHI 16 40 32 8 7.5 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 2
2004 PHI 16 32 26 6 5.5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
2005 IND 13 34 25 9 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 2
2006 IND 0 did not play
2007 TEN 4 1 0 1 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Total[8] 95 246 190 56 32.0 9 3 0 0 0 0 0 14

Political career

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On June 13, 2022, Simon announced his candidacy for Florida's Third senatorial district, running as a Republican against Democrat Loranne Ausley, after serving as CEO of Volunteer Florida.[9] Due to redistricting, the Florida Legislature redrew Florida's Third senatorial district boundaries to the east and reduced the Democratic advantage seen in previous elections.[9] Simon had the backing and was recruited by Florida Governor Ron DeSantis,[9] Senate President Kathleen Passidomo[9] and Senator Ben Albritton,[10] due to his association with Florida State University football. Simon canceled a debate with the Tallahassee Democrat and the League of Women Voters, labeling them a "liberal farce".[11] Simon also accused Ausley and the Florida Democratic Party of funding racist advertisements depicting photos of children with nearby bullet holes and targets, as well as Simon in a target frame with stray bullets to the side. The flyer was produced by the Florida Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee, led by Minority Leader Lauren Book. Simon campaigned heavily against votes Ausley made during her time in the Florida Legislature such as voting against the Fairness in Women's Sports Act (SB 1028) which specifies that an athletic team or sport that is designated for females, women, or girls may not be open to students of the male sex, based on the student's biological sex listed on the student's official birth certificate at the time of birth.[12] Simon also repeatedly went after her vote against the Parental Rights in Education Act, which prohibits "classroom instruction" on sexual orientation or gender identity in "kindergarten through grade 3 or in a manner that is not age appropriate or developmentally appropriate for students in accordance with state standards".[12] On November 8, 2022, Simon defeated Ausley in the general election with 53% of the vote.[13] Simon is the first African American Republican State Senator from Florida since Reconstruction.[13]

Electoral history

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2022

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Florida Senate District 3 – General Election (2022) [14]
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican Corey Simon 113,477 53.0%
Democratic Loranne Ausley (incumbent) 100,696 47.0%
Total votes 214,173 100%
Republican gain from Democratic

Personal life

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In 2001, Simon married Natasha Givens.[15] Together, the couple have a son, Corey Jr. (born 2003).[16] He lives in Tallahassee.[17]

References

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  1. ^ 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 25, 2012.
  2. ^ "2000 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  3. ^ "DY Simon is tagged by Eagles". Tampa Bay Times. February 11, 2005. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  4. ^ Pasquarelli, Len (August 29, 2005). "Denfensive tackle become unrestricted free agent". ESPN. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  5. ^ "Colts terminate Corey Simon's contract". NFL.com. August 4, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  6. ^ "Titans sign former Colt DT Simon". NFL.com. August 28, 2007. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  7. ^ Walker, Teresa M. (October 26, 2007). "Titans' Corey Simon announces retirement". USA TODAY. Retrieved April 30, 2011.
  8. ^ "Corey Simon Stats". ESPN. ESPN Internet Ventures. Retrieved March 21, 2014.
  9. ^ a b c d Call, James (June 14, 2022). "Former FSU football star hopes to ride 'a really big red wave' over Sen. Loranne Ausley". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  10. ^ Johnson, David (June 14, 2022). "Former FSU and NFL standout Corey Simon to run for Florida office". WCTV. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  11. ^ Call, James (October 14, 2022). "Election denialism and 'racist implications': Ausley and Simon on the attack over attack ads". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  12. ^ a b Call, James (October 28, 2022). "Ausley vs. Simon: Amid a GOP ad barrage, Florida Senate Democrats bank on 'personal' touch". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  13. ^ a b Crowder, Valerie (November 8, 2022). "Republican Corey Simon defeats Sen. Ausley in SD3 race". WFSU News. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  14. ^ "Florida Department of State - Election Results".
  15. ^ "Media Alert - Corey Simon". nfl.info. March 2, 2001. Retrieved December 23, 2022.
  16. ^ Kelly, Kevin (January 13, 2003). "Eagles have Jets to thank". St. Petersburg Times. Archived from the original on February 16, 2003. Retrieved February 27, 2023. In addition to sacking Michael Vick in Philadelphia's 20-6 win against the Falcons, the Florida State product became a father when wife Natasha gave birth to a boy, Corey Jr., at 5:30 a.m. "It was the best day of my life," Simon said. "You can throw the game out. My son being born was the best day of my life. Winning that game was whipped cream on top of it, just icing on the cake. When I went home and saw my wife and kid, it put things in perspective. Life is bigger than wins and losses."
  17. ^ Ogles, Jacob (February 15, 2023). "Corey Simon endorses Evan Power for Florida GOP Chair". Florida Politics. Retrieved February 27, 2023.
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