Lionel Simmons Enters the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame

A press conference was held on Thursday, August 14 at the Wachovia Spectrum which announced the induction of Lionel Simmons (Class of 1990) into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame. Simmons, alongside the likes of Maurice Cheeks, Harold Carmichael and Herb Magee, will be launched into the Hall of Fame as a member of the fifth induction class.

Simmons, the 1990 College Player of the Year, stands alone as the only player in La Salle’s all-time history to score over 3,000 points. The Explorer great scored 3,217 career points (24.6 ppg) during his tenure, which made him the third highest scorer in Division-I history at the time of his graduation.

Simmons, known to many as the L-Train, was adorned with numerous accolades over his four-year collegiate career. He was a three-time Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Player of the Year, a three-time Big 5 Player of the Year and a four-time First Team All-Big 5 honoree. The 6-6 forward was later inducted into the Big 5 Hall of Fame in 1996.

Branching out to the national spotlight, Simmons was honored with the 1990 John R. Wooden Award, Eastman Kodak Award (NABC), Naismith Award and the Joe Lapchick Award (Basketball Hall of Fame).

Included in his La Salle achievements, Simmons become the only player in NCAA history to score more than 3,000 points and pull down more than 1,100 rebounds. With points and rebounds combined, only 12 players in NCAA history have ever passed the 4,000 milestone and Simmons ranks second all-time (4,646) to the legendary Tom Gola (4,663).

La Salle combined for a 100-31 record over the course of Simmons’ regime. In 1989-90, he helped lead the Explorers to a 30-2 overall record, marking the most wins in school history. La Salle is most thankful and appreciative for his outstanding accomplishments and as a result, Simmons was inducted into the school’s Hall of Athletes in 1995.

The Class V induction ceremony will take place in November. The Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame, a nonprofit corporation, was introduced in May 2002 and its goal is to honor and cherish Philadelphia sports and its memorable history. Other former La Salle student-athletes inducted into the Philadelphia Sports Hall of Fame include Gola (Class I), Joe Verdeur (Class II) and the 1954 Men’s Basketball Champions (Class II).