Langston’s Director of Athletics departing for Alcorn State

By: Michael Stewart, Sports Information Director, Langston University

Langston, Okla. – One week ago last Friday, Alcorn State University (a member of the NCAA’s Southwestern Athletic Conference) reported on its’ athletic website (www.alcornsports.com) that Langston University Director of Athletics Patric Simon was hired as the new Director of Athletics at the Division I HBCU located in Lorman, Miss.  Today, the Department of Athletics can confirm that Simon was hired at ASU.

Simon said that he is currently in a transition period between finishing out the athletic season here at Langston, while planning to leave early enough to begin work at Alcorn State.

“It is very important that I remain at Langston through most of the softball and track season,” Simon said.  “Jimmy Hilliard (Head Track and Field Coach) and Quinton Morgan (Head Softball Coach) need a solid foundation on which they can go through their respective seasons with, and I want to ensure that they have every opportunity for the highest degree of success that they can obtain with a solid foundation.”

Simon said that he will miss Oklahoma, and that he is appreciative of the Langston University community for allowing him to build the Department of Athletics into a regional powerhouse.  During his four years as Director of Athletics, Simon’s athletic teams have won 12 conference championships between the Red River Athletic Conference and Central States Football League of the NAIA.  The two most recent championships came with the football team earning co-champion honors in the CSFL under Mickey Joseph, and the Langston Lionesses Basketball team winning their fourth consecutive RRAC title under Jerome Willis.

“Oklahoma has been a great state to work and live in,” said Simon, a native of Baltimore, Md.  “The people have been some of the friendliest that you will ever meet, and the hospitality in this state is second to none.  I will remember my time in Oklahoma fondly, and I hope to come back and visit whenever my schedule allows me to do so.”

A departure date has not been confirmed for Simon, but he is expected to leave Langston within the next couple of months.