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Jerseys retired in two sports for first time ever
During the basketball home opener in the Panther Den last Wednesday night, the Franklin High School Athletic Department honored FHS graduate Lindsay Simpson for her award-winning contribution to the volleyball and basketball programs during her high school career. To honor Simpson's accomplishments both on and off the court, the Athletic Department retired Simpson's number 15 jersey in both basketball and volleyball. Wednesday night marked the first time in FHS history that a student has jerseys retired in two sports.
“There are too many people to thank for this tremendous honor,” said Simpson Wednesday night. “More than anything I want to thank the fans for supporting me and cheering me on while I was at Franklin.”
While representing the Panthers, Simpson received All Conference honors in basketball and volleyball and in 2012, she was named the North Carolina High School Association's Athlete of the Year in both basketball and volleyball. During her sophomore, junior and senior years at FHS, Simpson was named the WNC Player of the Year in both sports.
In addition to her numerous recognitions, Simpson was ranked first in the state in kills in volleyball with an average of 5.7 per game, which equates to a season total average of 516 and 1,208 total career kills.
In basketball, Simpson was ranked top scorer in North Carolina with an average of 27.6 points per game and she also holds the record for scoring the most points in a single game for the Panthers. Simpson has received recognition for playing on All State, All Conference and All Tournament teams throughout her high school career.
Simpson was not only recognized for her athletic contributions to FHS, but was also commended for being an outstanding student leader by holding leadership roles on both the student council and her sports teams.
Western Carolina University recognized Simpson's talent and recruited the Panther stand-out to play for the Lady Cats on a full scholarship. Currently playing guard, Simpson plans to continue working toward improving her athletic ability through practicing with the Cats six days a week in order to hone her skills and work with her teammates to excel at the collegiate level.
Simpson was presented with a replica copy of both her FHS volleyball and basketball jerseys, and the original jerseys were hung in the gym lobby with the other FHS legends such as Walter Scruggs and Shawn Bryson.
