ALTON, Ill. – Simmons Hanly Conroy, one of the nation’s largest mass torts firms and a national leader in the legal representation of mesothelioma patients and their families, is pleased to announce that firm Chairman and Founder John Simmons has been inducted into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame as a “Contributor.”
The mission of the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame is to celebrate the history of sports in the St. Louis region and to preserve that history for generations to come. Simmons is recognized for his many years supporting numerous athletic endeavors and programs in and around Alton, which is a suburb of St. Louis.
“We at Simmons Hanly Conroy are very proud of John for his many years of coaching, financial support and other contributions to diverse athletic endeavors, especially in the Alton and surrounding communities,” said Laurence V. Nassif, managing partner of Simmons Hanly Conroy. “John is revered as a champion of scholastic, amateur and professional sports throughout the region, which makes him a deserving inductee into the St. Louis Sports Hall of Fame.”
Among Simmons’ sports and athletic involvements are:
- Wrestling coach for 14 years with the Edwardsville Wrestling Club.
- Girls volleyball coach with the Trinity Lutheran School, Edwardsville, IL.
- Girls basketball coach with the Evangelical School, Godfrey, IL.
- Financial support of numerous facilities and programs, including:
- The wrestling program at SIUE.
- The Jon Davis wresting complex and pool at Edwardsville High School in Edwardsville, Illinois.
- The baseball and softball fields at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville (SIUE).
- The football video scoreboard at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri.
- Roxana High School (Roxana, Illinois) athletics, including weight room and turf fields — both at Roxana and Gordon Moore Community Park in Alton.
- The futsal courts near Alton Middle School in Alton.
- The scoreboard at Marquette Catholic High School in Alton.
- Previous owner of the former Southern Illinois Miners independent league baseball team in Marion, Illinois.
- Previous owner of the former Savannah Sand Gnats minor league baseball team in Savannah, Georgia.
In addition to his support of sports and athletics in local communities, Simmons has contributed greatly to the economies of Alton through his leadership at Simmons Hanly Conroy, the national law firm he founded in 1999.
The Alton-based firm has since expanded to more than 275 employees, including more than 100 attorneys. The firm is well known for securing some of the biggest verdicts and settlements in the history of asbestos litigation.
