Simon Edward Rusk (born 17 December 1981) is an English professional football manager and former professional player who most recently was interim head coach at Southampton.

He holds a UEFA pro licence. Previously manager of Brighton & Hove Albion Under 23s, Rusk was responsible for the progression of many young talents to the Brighton first-team in recent years, including Aaron Connolly, Steven Alzate, Solly March and Ben White. As a player, he played as a midfielder, notably for Boston United.

Rusk was born in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, and grew up in the suburb of Bretton. He joined the Peterborough United youth system in 1995 and had a spell on loan in the Southern Football League Premier Division with Cambridge City during the 1999–2000 season. He was signed on a free transfer by Boston United in March 2001 after being released by Peterborough. His Boston debut came in March 2001 in a match at Doncaster Rovers. He was fined by manager Steve Evans for receiving a red card against Shrewsbury Town in December 2005. He had surgery on a knee injury in December 2006, which ruled him out until after Christmas.

He left Boston to join Northwich Victoria on a free transfer on 2 July 2007, being signed by former Boston teammate Neil Redfearn. Rusk scored on his debut for Northwich, in the 2–1 loss against Ebbsfleet United, which was the first game for Ebbsfleet under this name, having previously been known as Gravesend & Northfleet. In September 2007, Rusk was placed on the club's transfer list and joined Rushden & Diamonds on a one-month loan later that month.

Manager Dino Maamria confirmed in January 2008 he was to move, with Weymouth believed to be his next destination. However, he signed a one-and-a-half-year contract with York City on a free transfer on 8 January. He made his debut in the team's 2–0 win against Aldershot Town in January and finished the season with 14 appearances for the club. He suffered a medial knee ligament injury during York's 1–1 draw with Torquay United on 28 August, which saw him substituted for Niall Henderson in the 73rd minute. He made his return on 20 September in a 1–1 with Salisbury City. He scored the winning penalty for York in a 4–2 penalty shoot-out victory against Mansfield Town in the Conference League Cup third round on 4 November, which finished 1–1 after extra time. He started in the FA Trophy Final at Wembley Stadium on 9 May 2009, which York lost 2–0 to Stevenage Borough. He was released by York following the end of the 2008–09 season, during which he made 47 appearances and scored one goal.

Rusk joined Conference Premier team Crawley Town on 27 May 2009. He made his debut as a 22nd-minute substitute in a 4–0 defeat against Mansfield Town. Rusk went on to feature regularly during his first season for the club, making 42 appearances, many of which were at right-back. He was offered a new one-year contract in April 2010, which he signed in May. In February 2011, Rusk was an 81st minute substitute in Crawley Town's 1–0 FA Cup defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Due to a number of serious injuries, he retired following the end of the 2010–11 to take a role with Crawley's Centre of Excellence ahead of their first season in the Football League. He was appointed a youth team coach at Brighton & Hove Albion on 6 March 2012, a role involving overseeing the development of the club's scholars and managing the under-18 team.

Rusk was appointed U23s Head coach in March 2015, stepping up from his role as U18s coach.