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Antuan Simmons had come to USC in 1997 as a defensive back pressed into action in the second game of the season.  The kid from Sacramento responded with 11 tackles.  "Didn't blink once," said Dennis Thurman, an assistant then.  Although Simmons could be maddening at times, given to mental lapses, not always the hardest worker in practice, there was no questioning his raw physical talent.

Shifting from safety to cornerback as a sophomore, he started about half the games and, against Washington, intercepted two fourth-quarter passes, returning both for touchdowns.  As a junior, he became a full-time starter and had a big game against Stanford, intercepting another two passes and recovering a fumble.  Simmons also played on special teams, blocking a half-dozen kicks during his first three seasons, and was popular among teammates.  "If I had a question about how to cover a guy or something I should be doing better; he was there to tell me, " said Kris Richard a fellow defensive back.  "He was there to lean on."

His problems began with a nagging back injury during that junior season of 1999.  The pain grew unbearable, requiring emergency surgery to relieve pressure on a nerve.  It was during a follow-up examination that doctors noticed unusual blotches on the X-rays- a cluster of tumors had formed along his aorta and wrapped around his left kidney.

Simmons went right back into the operating room, this time for six hours, surgeons carefully removing the benign masses and reconstructing a major vein.  He developed internal bleeding, which required yet another operation, and his short hospital stay stretched into weeks.  "It became a nightmare," he said.  The once-powerful athlete lost 35 pounds and traveled in and out of intensive care, breathing through a respirator as he battled further complications.  His muscles atrophied to the point where he needed help to stand.  Teammates and coaches stopped by to cheer him up, maybe talk some football, shaking their heads as they walked away.  Hackett, still the coach, said, "If it's you or me . . . we're dead."

Watching a clock on the wall of his room, waiting for a time when things would get better, Simmons refused to give up hope.  The turning point came in late June 2000 when doctors discovered the cause of his labored breathing: more than a liter of fluid had developed around his heart.  Simmons was to weak and sedated to realize that he was going in for yet another procedure, but upon waking, he sensed that something had changed.  His body started to grow stronger.  Some two months after arriving at the hospital, he finally went home.

By August, Simmons was healthy enough to accompany the team to New Jersey and watch the opener against Penn State.  After USC's victory that day, Paul Hackett handed him the game ball.  It was an emotional moment, a symbol of his return, but the tough part was far from over.  While the Trojans struggled through the season, Simmons had to put on pounds and coax his muscles back into shape.  The experience changed him, he said, made him treasure school and family, made him appreciate the game he had occasionally taken for granted.

All the weight eventually returned, his legs recovering their spring, and in March 2001 the defensive back convinced coaches that he could return to the field.  "We were stunned he was even out at spring practice," Carroll said.  "He was hitting the heck out of people and making plays."  Exactly what the Trojans needed.

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