On finite simple groups of p-local rank two

G. Robinson introduced the group invariant known as the p-local rank to study Dade's conjecture and Alperin's conjecture. It is known that, for a finite p-solvable group with trivial maximal normal p-subgroup, the p-local rank is greater than or equal to the p-rank. Along those lines, we study the p-local rank of finite simple groups, giving a group-theoretic characterization of finite simple groups having p-local rank two. These results are also necessary for the investigation of such conjectures for finite groups of p-local rank two.