COLUMBUS — Barrin Simpson had two nicknames lined up for his first XFL jersey with the San Francisco Demons: ‘Bamm-Bamm’ and ‘Bow Legs.’ Simpson, fresh off a legendary college career at Mississippi State, signed with the fledgling professional league before its inaugural season in 2001. XFL players had the option of having nicknames on the back of their jerseys.
“My dad’s nickname was ‘Bamm-Bamm,’” Simpson said. “I looked a lot like my dad, so I was called ‘Little Bamm-Bamm,’ and then I was also ‘Bow Legs.’”
The second nickname refers to Simpson’s unique posture – he was born with genu varum, a condition where one’s legs curve outward at the knees – a condition commonly referred to as “bow-leggedness.”
Of the many quirks and unique features of the league that promoted smash-mouth football unlike anyone had seen before, the jerseys stuck with him the most.
“I thought that was a cool aspect of it,” Simpson said. “It was different. It worked with the wildness of the league. … It was the XFL’s version of NIL, the original ‘name, image and likeness’ kickoff right there. If Twitter was out then, that would have been heaven for a lot of those guys. … It probably couldn’t work anywhere else, but it worked in that league.”
Unfortunately, Simpson’s opportunity to play in what became the wildest football league ever created never happened after he suffered a torn meniscus before San Francisco’s lone preseason game in January 2001.
His time in training camp, however, learning the odds and ends of a brand of football all to itself, got him recognized and led to a prosperous professional career in the Canadian Football League and a now lengthy coaching career that brought him back to the Golden Triangle as the head coach at Columbus High School.
‘An opportunity to play football’
Despite his setbacks, Simpson never lost the desire to keep playing the game he loved; a game that gave as much back to him as he gave to it.
“It was an opportunity to play football,” Simpson said. “Myself and a lot of guys love to play the game of football, so I just wanted to go and play. … Nobody knew of the coin toss and those things until we got into training camp.”
People might know the current iteration of the XFL, now partnered up with the revitalized United States Football League to create the United Football League, but some two decades ago, version No. 1 was in a league of its own.
Created in 2000 as a joint venture between NBC and the World Wrestling Federation, now the WWE, the original XFL combined the worlds of football and professional wrestling into one.
While originally intended to showcase a purer brand of football, falling ratings necessitated something to pull viewers in, and the entertainment aspect of the WWE inspired by the “Attitude Era” of the late 1990s and early 2000s became the league’s jumping-off point.
“I thought it was kind of crazy,” Simpson said. “The antics, all of the stuff. It was unique to the atmosphere of football at that time. … It was a loud brand of football that had some of the ‘WrestleMania’ antics to it.”
As a two-time All-Southeastern Conference selection and 1999 first team All-American at Mississippi State, Simpson’s aspiration was to play in the NFL, but the linebacker surprisingly went undrafted in 2000. He signed with the New England Patriots that summer as an undrafted free agent.
His time in New England lasted just a few months before he was cut, and soon after, his name was called in the 24th round of the inaugural XFL Draft in October 2000, the 187th overall selection. It was a new opportunity to play, but as Simpson alluded to, nothing could have prepared players for what training camp had in store. It was football, sure, but many of the rules were different.
Gone were zone coverages, fair catches, extra points and – amazingly – pregame coin tosses. Instead, players participated in an opening scramble to decide possession, as the league leaned into chaos more than actual football savvy.
“That’s the one thing about the game of football,” Simpson said, “you always prepare for every aspect of the game. Those were what we called ‘special situations’ along with special teams. … We practiced every single situation that could have possibly happened.”
While Simpson trained hard to secure himself a spot on the Demons, his torn meniscus closed that door. But another soon opened.
‘Why is this guy sending us something?’
North of the border in Canada, newly promoted BC Lions scout Craig Smith found Simpson’s tape and was enthralled by it.
His athleticism with Mississippi State and success playing in the toughest conference in college football was plenty for Smith to give him a ring.
“Watching the bowl games and stuff like that, you kind of just put it on the shelf as a possible guy,” Smith said. “When I saw him the first time, I was a coach and then, I got thrown into personnel in 2001. Back then, we used to get inundated with VHS tapes. Barrin’s tape came across and I thought, ‘Holy cow, why is this guy sending us something?’”
It was perfect timing for the Lions, too, who had just won the 88th edition of the Grey Cup, the CFL’s championship, in 2000.
Simpson was going to play for a championship contender just about a year out from going undrafted in the 2000 NFL Draft, and the Lions were thrilled to have him fall into their lap.
“He’s one of the best guys in the world,” Smith said. “You couldn’t get a better guy. His on-field play was super, it was fantastic. As a guy, he was just an amazing person. Good in the locker room. Just a strong guy on-and-off the field.”
By the time his knee was close to full strength, Simpson’s desire to play for San Francisco and the XFL had waned tremendously, having watched what the league devolved into.
Smith felt much the same way, acknowledging that the quality and level of football was good, but the antics and chaos of the league were just too much.
“In my eyes, I thought the football was fine,” Smith said. “They had some good players. It was just a lot of the stupid stuff that they did with regards to the kickoff and that kind of stuff. They had the coaches that were mic’d. It wasn’t a good thing to have coaches mic’d when they were getting their ass kicked.”
The XFL lasted just one season, as the Demons reached the ‘Million Dollar Game’ aka the XFL Championship, losing to the Los Angeles Xtreme in the process.
Like Simpson, a number of players soon found new homes in Canada once the league disbanded, as the CFL was more than happy to offer contracts to top-end talent looking for another shot to play.
The CFL provided stability and a steady paycheck, but, most importantly, a springboard to get back to the NFL if all worked out.
“All of the sudden, bam, they have nowhere to go,” Smith said. “… A lot of guys, they didn’t want to come to Canada anyway. They wanted to stay home. Those other guys, they wanted to continue their football career. … With the XFL gone, it made it a lot easier to find players for sure.”
‘It’s home’
Once in Canada, all Simpson did was set the CFL on fire, authoring an 11-year career where he earned 2001 Rookie of the Year honors, six CFL All-Star selections and led the league in tackles in multiple seasons.
Simpson didn’t feel like he was done with football once his playing career was over, so he ventured into coaching, moving between a number of high schools in Texas before heading back to North Mississippi to coach the Falcons.
The Starkville-born Simpson made a name for himself in the Golden Triangle and now, he found his way back to further cement his legacy.
“It’s home,” Simpson said. “I wanted to have an opportunity to come back home, be around family, as well as get a chance to give back to the community.”
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You can help your community
Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 47 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
