While she was still playing softball, Cheryl Simmons was asked by her teammates to umpire a practice game in 1975 when the umpires failed to show. At the time, Simmons had been umpiring high school fast pitch. She agreed to help her team out and a year later she officially registered as an ASA umpire. She was a member of the Santa Clara Metro ASA for 25 years and served as umpire-in-chief for 16 of those years, 1985-2000. She became a member of the National Indicator Fraternity in 1986 and that same year was awarded the ASA Award of Excellence for Region 14. Simmons attended more than 10 clinics to better herself as an ASA umpire as well as has helped train numerous umpires and has worked with other countries in exchange programs to further develop umpires. In 1995, she participated as one of the clinicians at the New Zealand Umpire Clinic in Palmerston North, New Zealand. During her 34-year umpiring career, Simmons umpired various ASA and ISF events. In 1979, she was a member of the first ASA all female umpiring crew for the Women’s Major Fast Pitch National Championship. In 1981, she worked the Senior Girls’ (18-under) Fast Pitch National Championship followed by the Women’s Class A Fast Pitch National Championship in 1983 and in 1985. In between these events, she worked and the Senior Girls Fast Pitch National Championship in Lodi, Calif. in 1987. In 1997, Simmons served as the UIC for the Women’s 35-and-over Masters Slow Pitch National in Stockton, Calif. In 2000, she was selected to work the Women’s Inter-Service Slow Pitch Tournament in Miramar NAS, California. In 1987, she was ISF certified in fast pitch and has attained all four levels of the Medals Program. Internationally, Simmons officiated three Olympic Festivals and the 1987 ISF Junior Girls World Championship. In 1994, she was selected to work the ISF World Championship followed by two ISF qualifiers. In 1993, she was the first female to umpire the Canada Cup, and worked this event for nine consecutive years. She also worked the 1997 ISF Asian Zone qualifier and the 2003 Pan American games. Simmons has been a member of the Metropolitan Officials’ Association for 34 years and served as its president for 18 years. She is the 39th Umpire to be inducted into the Hall of Fame and only the second woman umpire to be inducted.
