AUSTIN, Texas – Special Olympics Texas announced the winners for its statewide 2016 Outstanding Service awards on Wednesday.
Our station's own-Greg Simmons-has been recognized with the outstanding service from a community leader. Simmons is our stations sports anchor/director, and while he does a wonderful job on-air for us, Simmons has been heavily involved in the SOTX for over the last decade.
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Simmons has served as a emcee host for SOTX’s San Antonio Area Spring Games for the past 13 years. This is one of the busiest times of year for Simmons because the games are usually held during the Spurs playoff run. Even at his busiest, Simmons always makes time to make it to the Spring Games, even if that meant giving up a Spurs game.
According to a news release by the SOTX, this year Simmons was supposed to cover the San Antonio Spurs and Oklahoma City Thunder playoff game in Oklahoma on the same day as the Spring Games, but because of his dedication to SOTX athletes, he shuffled his schedule and was able to get another reporter to cover the game, enabling him to attend the SOTX Spring Games instead.
"Because of the kinship between him and the athletes, he told his fellow sportscasters that Special Olympics was more important and someone else would have to go," said Key volunteers Evelyn and Bill Merrill.
Simmons said that he gets more out of supporting the athletes than they do of him doing his part. He brings a certain kind of dignity to the Spring Games and has a great admiration for the athletes. When the games are over he can be seen meeting with and taking pictures with all of the athletes.
"He constantly encourages our athletes to do their best," said Shawn Britt, SOTX San Antonio Area program director. "He always reminds them how special they are. He doesn’t call them 'athletes,' he calls them heroes."
The release explained that although Simmons is a leading sports director, he always manages his busy schedule to make sure he is able to support SOTX athletes in every way he can.
Simmons reacted to the news by saying "I'm honored, but all the awards should go to the athletes and coaches who work and train so hard to compete, and the joy and happiness they bring me."
Simmons will be honored at an awards ceremony on Oct. 14 in Bryan/College Station during the 2016 SOTX Fall Classic competition. Simmons will be honored along with FC Dallas, the Houston Bar Association and San Antonio’s Gwenda Taggart, who also received Outstanding Service Awards from the nonprofit organization.