ASHBURN, Va. -- Washington Redskins tight ends coach Rennie Simmons, a holdover from former head coach Joe Gibbs' two tenures with the team, announced his retirement Wednesday.
Simmons, 66, has been an NFL assistant coach for 27 seasons, 18 of those with the Redskins. He first joined the team in 1981 as the tight ends coach under Gibbs and later coached the offensive line and wide receivers. He was on Gibbs' staff during the franchise's three Super Bowl championship seasons.
"I was fortunate enough to be with Joe all those years and come back again on a second tour with him," Simmons said. "I found out a long time ago, it's not so much where you are at that counts, but who you are with. When you are surrounded by good people and a first-class operation, as a coach, you can't ask for anything more than that. It is just a matter of doing your job as a coach. They give you every opportunity to do that there at the Redskins."
The Redskins also announced that defensive quality control coach Arthur Smith has left the organization to pursue a career in the military.
Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press
