Middle Tennesee State University Athletics
Storybook four years coming to a close for Simpson
5/2/2018 4:00:00 PM | Men's Basketball
MURFREESBORO, Tenn. – Two NCAA Tournament victories. Two Conference USA Tournament crowns and two more regular season titles. A Middle Tennessee record-tying 100 career wins. Receiving the 2018 True Blue President's Award and being a NABC Good Works Team nominee.
There have been a lot of special moments the past four years for Middle Tennessee basketball player Edward Simpson. He's grown into one of MT's most beloved student-athletes, revered by coaches, fans and his peers alike for his hard-working attitude, bright smile and high intellect, not to mention his ability on the basketball floor.
He also builds robots, and one of them makes delicious pancakes.
Though the past four years have been filled with incredible experiences, Simpson's biggest day may still be coming. On May 5, the senior mechatronics engineering major will walk across the stage in the Murphy Center not in his basketball uniform but in a cap and gown as a college graduate ready to hit the workforce.
"These last four years have been great," he said. "Playing basketball at MT has really prepared me for the next phase in life. I can't believe it's here, but I'm ready to start that next phase."
After graduation, Simpson will, like most others joining him on the Murphy Center stage, enter the workforce. But, his first job out of college won't be a normal one.
Simpson, who's in MT's Honor's College and sports a 3.62 GPA as a mechatronics engineering major, has accepted a systems engineering position at Boeing's Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, research facility. There, he'll help the aircraft manufacturing company build airplanes and other aircraft.
"It's basically like being a project manager but on the engineering side," he said. "I'll be in on the beginning and end stages of big projects. I'll help make budgets and help make sure everything we're doing actually works, then we'll send it off to the mechanical and electrical side and at the end put it all together. Basically, the top end and bottom end of a project is what I'll be doing."
The unique job comes after what has been a unique college experience for Simpson.
The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, native chose to attend Middle Tennessee over offers from the likes of Ivy League schools Yale and Columbia, among others.
When arriving in Murfreesboro, he chose to study mechatronics engineering, a rare major for a student-athlete.
"Not everyone is going out there to do engineering and basketball," he joked.
The rigors of his major mixed with playing for a highly ranked basketball team made plenty of understandable hardships along the road.
As a sophomore, Simpson and the Blue Raiders were about to enter the Conference USA Tournament when in practice he fractured an ankle, causing him to miss MT's championship and improbable first-round upset of Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
Fast forwarding to this year, the Blue Raiders entered the final stretch of the season at the same time as Simpson was finishing his senior project. He and his team had to make a fully functioning pancake robot that measured and mixed ingredients, poured the batter, flipped and plated pancakes. They were judged on how fast and how tasty the pancakes were made.
On the same day Simpson and his classmates had to present their project for the first time, the Blue Raiders welcomed rival WKU to the Murphy Center with a chance to clinch their second straight C-USA regular-season title. Simpson's robot was successful, and a few hours later the blue and white were cutting down the nets after an 82-64 win.
Then, over the next few weeks, Middle Tennessee would suffer a C-USA second-round upset to Southern Miss, get snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, beat Vermont in the NIT first round before losing at Louisville in the second and make a coaching change after Kermit Davis left for Ole Miss.
Simpson's few weeks of chaos on the basketball court mixed with finishing up undergraduate work and making robots – he made another during that time that was self-balancing – would have driven a weaker man insane. But, thanks to four years of hard work and preparation, Simpson was ready for it.
"The past four years really prepared me for a moment like that," he said. "The time management part of that was so big and staying focused on everything I had coming was important. You can really get off track with engineering, basketball, coach leaving … but I was prepared for it."
Not much has slowed down since, though Simpson no longer has to worry about getting to practice every day or working out as much.
"With my graduation, my girlfriend is graduating and going to law school, I'm about to start a job in June sometime – a little bit of everything is going on, and it's been crazy," he said.
As graduation nears, he's found time to sit and think not only about the future he's about to begin but also the road that got him here.
Simpson wants his crazy four years to serve as an example that student-athletes can succeed in any area of study they want. They just have to work for it.
"I think some people are scared to take the opportunities that present themselves," he said. "It's hard, but at the end of the day you can set yourself up for life."
Over the next few weeks, Simpson will start the transition to Oklahoma City. He'll also spend time with his Blue Raider teammates, brothers he'll always share a special bond with.
"Everything is moving so fast," he said. "It seems like the days are just flying by. I can't wait to come back to see everything that's transpired and talk to the guys. It's crazy to think I'll be in the stands next time I see them play."
Graduation day may signal the end of Simpson's time in Middle Tennessee, but he'll then turn into one of the school's most cherished new alumni.
Don't think graduating will kill Simpson's love of basketball, either. His Boeing coworkers better have their shoes ready to be laced up.
"I'm sure there are players in Oklahoma City who love to hoop, too," Simpson said. "There'll be enough basketball for me to stay in the game as much as I can."
There have been a lot of special moments the past four years for Middle Tennessee basketball player Edward Simpson. He's grown into one of MT's most beloved student-athletes, revered by coaches, fans and his peers alike for his hard-working attitude, bright smile and high intellect, not to mention his ability on the basketball floor.
He also builds robots, and one of them makes delicious pancakes.
Though the past four years have been filled with incredible experiences, Simpson's biggest day may still be coming. On May 5, the senior mechatronics engineering major will walk across the stage in the Murphy Center not in his basketball uniform but in a cap and gown as a college graduate ready to hit the workforce.
"These last four years have been great," he said. "Playing basketball at MT has really prepared me for the next phase in life. I can't believe it's here, but I'm ready to start that next phase."
After graduation, Simpson will, like most others joining him on the Murphy Center stage, enter the workforce. But, his first job out of college won't be a normal one.
Simpson, who's in MT's Honor's College and sports a 3.62 GPA as a mechatronics engineering major, has accepted a systems engineering position at Boeing's Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, research facility. There, he'll help the aircraft manufacturing company build airplanes and other aircraft.
"It's basically like being a project manager but on the engineering side," he said. "I'll be in on the beginning and end stages of big projects. I'll help make budgets and help make sure everything we're doing actually works, then we'll send it off to the mechanical and electrical side and at the end put it all together. Basically, the top end and bottom end of a project is what I'll be doing."
The unique job comes after what has been a unique college experience for Simpson.
The Ocean Springs, Mississippi, native chose to attend Middle Tennessee over offers from the likes of Ivy League schools Yale and Columbia, among others.
When arriving in Murfreesboro, he chose to study mechatronics engineering, a rare major for a student-athlete.
"Not everyone is going out there to do engineering and basketball," he joked.
The rigors of his major mixed with playing for a highly ranked basketball team made plenty of understandable hardships along the road.
As a sophomore, Simpson and the Blue Raiders were about to enter the Conference USA Tournament when in practice he fractured an ankle, causing him to miss MT's championship and improbable first-round upset of Michigan State in the NCAA Tournament.
Fast forwarding to this year, the Blue Raiders entered the final stretch of the season at the same time as Simpson was finishing his senior project. He and his team had to make a fully functioning pancake robot that measured and mixed ingredients, poured the batter, flipped and plated pancakes. They were judged on how fast and how tasty the pancakes were made.
On the same day Simpson and his classmates had to present their project for the first time, the Blue Raiders welcomed rival WKU to the Murphy Center with a chance to clinch their second straight C-USA regular-season title. Simpson's robot was successful, and a few hours later the blue and white were cutting down the nets after an 82-64 win.
Then, over the next few weeks, Middle Tennessee would suffer a C-USA second-round upset to Southern Miss, get snubbed from the NCAA Tournament, beat Vermont in the NIT first round before losing at Louisville in the second and make a coaching change after Kermit Davis left for Ole Miss.
Simpson's few weeks of chaos on the basketball court mixed with finishing up undergraduate work and making robots – he made another during that time that was self-balancing – would have driven a weaker man insane. But, thanks to four years of hard work and preparation, Simpson was ready for it.
"The past four years really prepared me for a moment like that," he said. "The time management part of that was so big and staying focused on everything I had coming was important. You can really get off track with engineering, basketball, coach leaving … but I was prepared for it."
Not much has slowed down since, though Simpson no longer has to worry about getting to practice every day or working out as much.
"With my graduation, my girlfriend is graduating and going to law school, I'm about to start a job in June sometime – a little bit of everything is going on, and it's been crazy," he said.
As graduation nears, he's found time to sit and think not only about the future he's about to begin but also the road that got him here.
Simpson wants his crazy four years to serve as an example that student-athletes can succeed in any area of study they want. They just have to work for it.
"I think some people are scared to take the opportunities that present themselves," he said. "It's hard, but at the end of the day you can set yourself up for life."
Over the next few weeks, Simpson will start the transition to Oklahoma City. He'll also spend time with his Blue Raider teammates, brothers he'll always share a special bond with.
"Everything is moving so fast," he said. "It seems like the days are just flying by. I can't wait to come back to see everything that's transpired and talk to the guys. It's crazy to think I'll be in the stands next time I see them play."
Graduation day may signal the end of Simpson's time in Middle Tennessee, but he'll then turn into one of the school's most cherished new alumni.
Don't think graduating will kill Simpson's love of basketball, either. His Boeing coworkers better have their shoes ready to be laced up.
"I'm sure there are players in Oklahoma City who love to hoop, too," Simpson said. "There'll be enough basketball for me to stay in the game as much as I can."
Players Mentioned
G
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