Michael Harry Simpson (born March 13, 1947) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

who played four seasons with the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL). He was selected by the

San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...

in the thirteenth round of the

1969 NFL/AFL draft The 1969 NFL/AFL draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and AFL held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft began with first overall pick of O. J. Simpso ...

after playing

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

at the

University of Houston The University of Houston (; ) is a Public university, public research university in Houston, Texas, United States. It was established in 1927 as Houston Junior College, a coeducational institution and one of multiple junior colleges formed in ...

Early life

Michael Harry Simpson was born on March 13, 1947, in

Mena, Arkansas Mena ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Polk County, Arkansas, Polk County, Arkansas, United States. The population was 5,558 as of the United States Census, 2020, 2020 census. Mena is included in the Ark-La-Tex socio-economic region. Surro ...

. His family moved to Texas when he was young, with Simpson being raised in

Groves, Texas Groves is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 17,335 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is part of the Beaumont, Texas, Beaumont–Port Arthur, Texas, Port Arthur Beaumon ...

. He played

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

at Port Neches–Groves High School in

Port Neches, Texas Port Neches is a city in Jefferson County, Texas, Jefferson County, Texas, United States. The population was 13,692 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, an increase over the figure of 13,040 tabulated in 2010. It is part of the Beaumont� ...

. He earned all-district honors in 1964 as a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

. He also participated in

track and field Track and field (or athletics in British English) is a sport that includes Competition#Sports, athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a ru ...

in high school, and was the lead runner on the 1965 four-man 440 relay team that set a national record with 41.2 seconds. He graduated in 1965. Simpson's high school football coach was

Bum Phillips Oail Andrew "Bum" Phillips Jr. (September 29, 1923 – October 18, 2013) was an American football coach at the high school, college and professional levels. He served as head coach in the National Football League (NFL) for the Houston Oilers fro ...

, who he followed to the

in 1965.

College career

Simpson was a member of the

Houston Cougars The Houston Cougars are the athletic teams representing the University of Houston. Informally, the Houston Cougars have also been referred to as the Coogs, UH, or simply Houston. Houston's nickname was suggested by early physical education inst ...

from 1965 to 1968 and a three-year

letterman Letterman may refer to: * Letterman (sports), a classification of high school or college athlete in the United States People * David Letterman (born 1947), American television talk show host ** ''Late Night with David Letterman'', talk show that ...

from 1966 to 1968. While at the University of Houston, Simpson mentored

Larry Gatlin Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers are an American country music vocal group. The group consists of lead singer Larry Gatlin (born May 2, 1948) and his brothers, Rudy and Steve Gatlin. The group achieved considerable success within the country ...

in the guitar.

Professional career

Simpson was selected by the

in the 13th round, with the 330th overall pick, of the

. He was released by the Chargers on September 3, 1969. Simpson signed with the

in 1970. He played in seven games for the 49ers during the 1970 season. He also appeared in one playoff game that season. He appeared in eight games, starting one, in 1971 and recorded one interception. Simpson also appeared in two playoff games that year. He played in 13 games, starting nine, in 1972, totaling two interceptions for 32 yards and one touchdown. He started one playoff game that season as well. Simpson played in 13 games for the second consecutive season in 1973, starting seven, and recorded one fumble recovery. On March 29, 1974, Simpson was traded to the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from 1953 to 1983, when owner Robert Irsay moved the franchise to Indianapolis. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breeding and racing. It w ...

for a 1976 seventh round draft pick. He was released by the Colts on September 10, 1974. Simpson was signed by the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston, Texas, from its founding in 1960 Houston Oilers season, 1960 to 1996 Houston Oilers season, 1996. The Houston Oilers began play as a charter member of the Ame ...

in 1975 but was later released.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Mike Living people 1947 births Players of American football from Arkansas American football defensive backs Houston Cougars football players San Francisco 49ers players People from Mena, Arkansas 20th-century American sportsmen San Diego Chargers players Baltimore Colts players Houston Oilers players Players of American football from Texas