NFL fans are well aware of who two-time Super Bowl champion quarterback Phil Simms is. That wasn't the case when he was selected by the New York Giants with the seventh overall pick in the 1979 draft.
Simms entered the league out of Morehead State University, a Kentucky-based, then-NCAA Division II program participating in the Ohio Valley Conference. He was a relatively unknown commodity to professional football fans but to MSU fans he became one of their most successful products.
That legacy of excellence - Super Bowl XXI MVP, two Pro Bowl selections (1985 & 1993), and his No. 11 retired by the Giants - earned him immortal status at his alma mater, eventually having his No. 12 retired there too.
On Wednesday, the school announced it would honor Simms further by renaming its football stadium after him.
Simms name will be permanently associated with the school's 10,000-seat facility, currently named Jayne Stadium, after a ceremony on Oct. 18 ahead of its game against Marist.
Exciting News! Morehead State University is set to recognize standout alum Phil Simms with honorary football stadium naming during Homecoming this fall.
— Morehead State Athletics (@MSUEagles) June 23, 2025
A ceremony will take place on Saturday, Oct. 18 at 10:30 a.m. ET outside the stadium.
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Morehead State to honor school, NFL legend Phil Simms with stadium name
Simms put up didn't put up spectacular numbers in college. He only totaled 32 touchdowns, racked up 45 interceptions but he set a school record in passing yards with 5,545. It was his off-the-field impact (and his NFL success) that the school appreciates the most.
"Phil Simms has remained loyal to MSU throughout the years," the school's athletic director Kelly Wells said in a statement. "He has given MSU his time, talent, and treasure to MSU since his days as a college athlete. He has visited Morehead during the summers to host summer camps for young athletes and encouraged them to consider MSU."
Wells continued to call the stadium-naming honor "deserving and long overdue," adding that his financial support of the football program was "notable."
Believe it or not, Simms never actually graduated from his alma mater until 2015 despite playing four seasons at Morehead State. He received his bachelors degree in University Studies.
Simms was an analyst for CBS Sports' NFL coverage from 1998-2023 and remains in media to this day. He was most recently in headlines for being willing to unretire his No. 11 for Giants 2025 first-round draft pick Abdul Carter who wore the same number at Penn State. That eventually didn't pan out and Carter settled on No. 51.