Gray Simons

{{short description|American wrestler (born 1939)}}

{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| name = Gray Simons

| full_name = Elliott Gray Simons

| image =

| caption =

| sport = Wrestling

| event = Freestyle and Folkstyle

| country = United States

| team = USA

| collegeteam = Lock Haven

| club = U.S. Army

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1939|8|13}}

| birth_place = Norfolk, Virginia, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| show-medals = yes

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalSport|Collegiate Wrestling}}

{{MedalCountry|the Lock Haven Bald Eagles}}

{{MedalCompetition|NCAA Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1960 College Park|115 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1961 Corvallis|115 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1962 Stillwater|115 lb}}

{{MedalCompetition|NAIA Championships}}

{{MedalGold|1959 DeKalb|115 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1960 Lock Haven|115 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1961 Golden|115 lb}}

{{MedalGold|1962 Winona|115 lb}}

}}

Elliott Gray Simons (born August 13, 1939) is a former American wrestler. He competed in the 1960 Summer Olympics and the 1964 Summer Olympics in freestyle wrestling.{{cite Sports-Reference |url=https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/si/gray-simons-1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200418115825/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/si/gray-simons-1.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=April 18, 2020 |title=Gray Simons Olympic Results |accessdate=March 21, 2019}} Simons later served as head coach at Lock Haven, Indiana State, Tennessee, and Old Dominion.{{cite web|url=https://vasportshof.com/inductee/gray-simons/|title=Gray Simons|date=August 25, 2017 |publisher=|accessdate=June 28, 2019}}

As a collegiate wrestler, Simons was a four-time NAIA national champion and three-time NCAA national champion. Simons was named Most Outstanding Wrestler of the NCAA tournament twice and the NAIA touranament four times, earning this honor in six of seven national meets he competed in. His feat of winning seven collegiate wrestling national championships remains unmatched.[https://odusports.com/news/2003/2/4/208373435.aspx Gray Simons, A Champion behind the Scenes]. odusports.com. Retrieved July 30, 2023.

In 1978, he was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[https://nwhof.org/hall_of_fame/bio/30 E. Gray Simons]. nwhof.org. Retrieved July 30, 2023.