One of Franklin’s greatest-ever athletes has earned her place among the school’s all-time greats.
More than 10 years after her graduation, those who watched Lindsay Simpson play still speak reverently about her talent, work ethic and tenacity on the court. After being inducted to the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame last fall, Simpson recently looked back on her one-of-a-kind career.
“First, I was just elated, and not necessarily shocked, but just prideful,” said Simpson on learning of her induction last year. “I’m just humbled to be part of a select group of people that did something very special.”
While Simpson is ever-humble about her exploits at Franklin, her humility belies the true gravity of her accomplishments. In women’s basketball, she may be the greatest Panther of all time, setting school records for most points in a single game (48) and for a career (2,693). In scoring over 1,400 more points than Franklin’s next-highest all-time scorer, the 2011-12 N.C. High School Athletic Association Athlete of the Year credits her incredible accomplishment to many hours of hard work far away from the spotlight.
“Well, I had good teammates and good coaches, and a good support staff around me to help with that,” she said. “Just my parents coaching me from a young age, my dad working with my shooting technique all the time, taking me to endless AAU [Amateur Athletic Union] practices in Atlanta, you name it. Really starting at a young age. Most kids were on vacation during the summers, but I was in the gym constantly perfecting my craft. ... Just the drive to never be satisfied was kind of my mentality – just never being complacent and always looking to improve.”
With help from her father, William David Simpson, the countless hours in the gym paid off for Lindsay, who finished her junior year as the top scorer statewide and ninth-highest nationally with an incredible 30.1 points per game. The point guard was so prolific on the court in fact, that it perhaps even overshadowed her talents in volleyball.
“We ran a 6-2, so I would basically set half the time and hit the other times,” she said. “I would say for me, volleyball was more enjoyable – there wasn’t as much pressure, my mom was the coach, and I enjoyed our time together doing that. It was a really good memory, and we accomplished a lot on that front as well.”
Coached by her mother, Anna Shields, Simpson finished her career as one of Franklin’s greatest-ever players, setting school records in kills (1,208) and assists (1,605) and twice earning conference Player of the Year honors. In fact, she ranks the team’s success her senior year as one of her biggest accomplishments in Panther red.
“There’s a lot, but just [one] kind of off the top of my head would be when we won the conference my senior year in volleyball,” she said. “We went to the Final Four in the state playoffs that year as well, and hitting the game-winning shot my sophomore year to beat Pisgah and kind of solidify the conference championship are just a few of the many memories that stick out. ... I would say as far as team accomplishments, winning the conference and making it to the Final Four were probably the biggest. As far as individual accomplishments, probably the Female Athlete of the Year in North Carolina.”
Still Franklin’s only NCHSAA Athlete of the Year, male or female, Simpson’s career stands alone in the school’s long history. The point guard’s achievements are not only remembered in Macon County however – after graduation she went on to four more stellar years for WCU, leading the team in scoring as a freshman (223 points) and ending her career with the third-most made 3-pointers in Catamount history (174).
After leaving Western, Simpson returned to her hometown of Franklin, where she’s attended many more Panther games over the years. In walking past her own retired jersey, one of just five that now hang in the entranceway to Tom Raby Court, Simpson characteristically deflects the credit for her accomplishments.
“My mind goes to everything that people don’t see – all the work that was put in, all the support from my family getting me to where I needed to be to be able to practice and be successful,” she said of seeing her own plaque. “That’s kind of the end result of all the people that played a part in that, and specifically [former Franklin men’s basketball] coach Michael Turner. ... He spent a lot of time with me during BFS [Bigger Faster Stronger, an in-school weight training class primarily for FHS athletes], after BFS and in-between times working out, playing one-on-one and things of that nature, just coaching more on a one-on-one level. That was a vital part of it as well - he played a big role, especially when I was getting ready to transition from high school to college. We definitely put a lot of work in, and he invested a lot of time in helping me prepare for the next level.”
Between Turner, her parents, longtime Lady Panther hoops coach Scott Hartbarger and the many teammates she had throughout her career, Simpson says each helped her on the path to becoming one of Franklin’s greatest-ever athletes. For her, the end result was a time she won’t soon forget.
“It was good times, man. We had some good games,” she said.” Thinking back, that was probably one of the most enjoyable times of my life playing high school basketball and volleyball. I do miss it.”