| Connie Simmons | |
| Position: | Center / forward |
| Height Ft: | 6 |
| Height In: | 8 |
| Weight Lb: | 222 |
| Number: | 10, 33, 11, 6, 18, 4 |
| Birth Date: | 15 March 1925 |
| Birth Place: | Newark, New Jersey |
| Nationality: | American |
| High School: | Flushing (Flushing, New York) |
| Career Start: | 1946 |
| Career End: | 1956 |
| Years1: | 1946–1948 |
| Team1: | Boston Celtics |
| Years2: | 1948–1949 |
| Team2: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Years3: | 1949–1954 |
| Team3: | New York Knicks |
| Years4: | 1954 |
| Team4: | Baltimore Bullets |
| Years5: | 1954–1955 |
| Team5: | Syracuse Nationals |
| Years6: | 1955–1956 |
| Team6: | Rochester Royals |
| Highlights: |
|
| Stats League: | BAA/NBA |
| Stat1label: | Points |
| Stat1value: | 5,859 |
| Stat2label: | Rebounds |
| Stat2value: | 2,294 |
| Stat3label: | Assists |
| Stat3value: | 940 |
| Bbr: | simmoco01 |
| Letter: | s |
Cornelius Leo "Connie" Simmons (March 15, 1925 – April 15, 1989) was an American professional basketball player. He was born in Newark, New Jersey.
A 6'8" forward/center from Flushing High School in New York City, Simmons played ten seasons (1946–56) in the National Basketball Association as a member of the Boston Celtics, Baltimore Bullets, New York Knicks, Syracuse Nationals and Rochester Royals. He averaged 9.8 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game in his career and was a member of two league championship teams: the 1948 Bullets and the 1955 Nationals. He was the second player to enter the NBA without having played in college, after Tony Kappen.[1]
Connie was the brother of professional basketball and baseball player Johnny Simmons.[2]
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1946–47 | Boston | 60 | – | .320 | .677 | – | 1.0 | 10.3 |
| 1947–48 | Boston | 32 | – | .295 | .593 | – | .5 | 7.8 |
| 1947–48† | Baltimore | 13 | – | .302 | .556 | – | .5 | 10.6 |
| 1948–49 | Baltimore | 60 | – | .377 | .683 | – | 1.9 | 13.0 |
| New York | 60 | – | .331 | .662 | – | 1.7 | 11.3 | |
| New York | 66 | – | .374 | .702 | 6.5 | 1.8 | 9.2 | |
| New York | 66 | 23.6 | .378 | .689 | 7.1 | 1.8 | 9.5 | |
| New York | 65 | 26.3 | .377 | .732 | 7.0 | 2.0 | 11.2 | |
| New York | 72 | 27.9 | .358 | .689 | 6.7 | 1.8 | 10.0 | |
| Baltimore / Syracuse | 36 | 23.9 | .357 | .632 | 6.1 | 1.7 | 9.6 | |
| Rochester | 68 | 13.3 | .336 | .605 | 3.5 | 1.2 | 5.4 | |
| Career | 598 | 22.9 | .351 | .678 | 6.2 | 1.6 | 9.8 | |
| Year | Team | GP | MPG | FG% | FT% | RPG | APG | PPG |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1948† | Baltimore | 11 | – | .371 | .744 | – | 1.0 | 17.1 |
| 1949 | Baltimore | 3 | – | .351 | .759 | – | 2.3 | 16.0 |
| New York | 5 | – | .275 | .952 | – | 1.4 | 8.4 | |
| New York | 14 | – | .364 | .618 | 6.7 | 1.7 | 10.9 | |
| New York | 14 | 30.5 | .464 | .764 | 7.7 | .9 | 15.9 | |
| New York | 11 | 31.0 | .367 | .729 | 7.5 | 2.3 | 13.2 | |
| New York | 4 | 27.8 | .323 | .694 | 8.3 | 2.5 | 11.3 | |
| Career | 62 | 30.3 | .382 | .731 | 7.4 | 1.5 | 13.6 | |