From small town Kansas to JUCO football to the NFL a pair of former Conquistador football players are finding success coaching at the highest level of football in the NFL. 
 
Former Conquistadors, Darrin Simmons and Nate Kaczor are Special Teams Coordinators in the NFL for the Cincinnati Bengals and Washington Commanders, respectively. 
 
The Elkhart native, Simmons played for Dodge City from 1991-92 as he punted and played some quarterback, also and finished his collegiate career at the University of Kansas as a punter. Simmons led all of JUCO in punting average with 43.5 yards per punt in 1992 and amassed 2,611 punting yards on 60 punts and earned All-American honors. He owns the career record for punt yards in a career at Dodge City with 4,229 yards. 
 
Kaczor, a Scott City native, played center for the Conqs and was part of the Conqs second ever bowl game appearance in 1985 when the team played in the Roaring Ranger Bowl. The team went 6-5 during the 1985 season. He went on to finish his college career at Utah State. 
 
Simmons helped the Bengals to the franchises third Super Bowl appearance last year as the team won the AFC North title for the first time since 2015 and first playoff win since 1990. He's been coaching in the NFL for 20+ years now with this being his 20^th season with the Bengals and previous coached with the Carolina Panthers and Baltimore Ravens. 
 
Kaczor has been in the NFL since 2008 working primarily with special teams and is in his fourth season with the Washington Commanders, while having previously work with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Tennessee Titans, and Jacksonville Jaguars. Before making it to the NFL Kaczor coached 17 years at the college level with stops at Utah State, Nebraska-Kearney, Idaho, and Louisiana Monroe. 
 
Both Simmons and Kaczor have coached multiple All-Pro/Pro Bowl players during the tenure in the NFL while having their special teams' units rank in Top 10 of several categories' multiple years. 
 
The small-town Kansas guys capitalized on an opportunity to play JUCO football and their career at Dodge City helped propel them to the NFL as coaches.