Edward F. "Big Ed" Simonich (January 11, 1916 – August 22, 1965) was an American college football player and coach, college basketball coach, track and field coach, athletics administrator, and educator.^[1] He served as the head football coach at Carroll College in Butte, Montana from 1939 to 1941 and the Montana State School of Mines—now known as Montana Technological University—from 1957 to 1964. Simonich played football at the University of Notre Dame under coach Elmer Layden.^[2] He was selected in the 19th round of the 1939 NFL draft.^[3]

Simonich led the Carroll Fighting Saints football team to consecutive Montana Collegiate Conference (MCC) titles, in 1940 and 1941. He also coached basketball and track at Carroll, lead his track team to a MCC championship in 1940, and his basketball teams to back-to-back MCC titles, in 1942 and 1943.^[4] In November 1944, Simonich was hired as the athletic director at Boy's Central High School—now known as Butte Central Catholic High School—in Butte, Montana.^[5] In 1947, he left Montana to become the athletic director head football coach at Trinity High School in Sioux City, Iowa.^[6] Three years later, in 1950, he took on the same role at the newly-opened Bishop Heelan Catholic High School, also in Sioux City. In 1955, he returned to Butte Central Catholic High School as head football coach.^[7] In 1955, Simonich was hired as athletic director, coach, and assistant professor at Montana Mines, succeeding Ralph Olsen.^[8][9] At Montana Mines, Simonich also coached basketball, baseball, track, wrestling, ice hockey, tennis, and golf and was director of intramural sports.^[10]

Simonich was born on January 11, 1916, in Ironwood, Michigan. He died on August 22, 1965, after suffering from cancer.^[11][12]

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