Billy Ray Sims (born September 18, 1955) is a former American college and professional football player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Sims played college football for the

University of Oklahoma , mottoeng = "For the benefit of the Citizen and the State" , type = Public research university , established = , academic_affiliations = , endowment = $2.7billion (2021) , pr ...

, where he was a two-time consensus All-American, and won the Heisman Trophy in 1978. He was the first overall pick in the

1980 NFL Draft The 1980 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 29–30, 1980, at the New York Sh ...

, and played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions. Sims was the last Oklahoma player taken Number 1 overall in the

NFL Draft The National Football League Draft, also called the NFL Draft or (officially) the Player Selection Meeting, is an annual event which serves as the league's most common source of player recruitment. Each team is given a position in the drafting o ...

until

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

Sam Bradford Samuel Jacob Bradford (born November 8, 1987) is a former American football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for nine seasons, most notably with the St. Louis Rams and Minnesota Vikings. He was also a member of the ...

was taken first in the 2010 NFL Draft.Tramel, Jimmie
"Distant dreams: Billy Sims watches as new Sooner generation makes it big."

Tulsa World The ''Tulsa World'' is the daily newspaper for the city of Tulsa, Oklahoma, and primary newspaper for the northeastern and eastern portions of Oklahoma. Tulsa World Media Company is part of Lee Enterprises. The new owners announced in January 20 ...

, September 5, 2010. Retrieved November 16, 2014. He was given the nickname "Kung Fu Billy Sims" by ESPN's

Chris Berman Christopher James Berman (born May 10, 1955), nicknamed "Boomer", is an American sportscaster. He has been an anchor for ''SportsCenter'' on ESPN since 1979, joining a month after its initial launch, and hosted the network's '' Sunday NFL Count ...

, after a game where the Detroit Lions played the

Houston Oilers The Houston Oilers were a professional American football team that played in Houston from its founding in 1960 to 1996 before relocating to Memphis, and later Nashville, Tennessee becoming the Tennessee Titans. The Oilers began play in 1960 a ...

. In the

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highlight, rather than be tackled during a rushing attempt, Sims ran at, jumped, and, while fully airborne, kicked Oilers Cornerback Steve Brown in the head.Hailey, Gary
"Billy Sims: The Man, the 'Fro, the BBQ."
''Naptime Huddle'', October 23, 2012. Retrieved November 20, 2014.

Early years

Sims was born in

St. Louis, Missouri St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...

, but in the eighth grade he moved to Hooks, Texas, to live with his grandmother. Sims initially played baseball and grew up a

St. Louis Cardinals The St. Louis Cardinals are an American professional baseball team based in St. Louis. The Cardinals compete in Major League Baseball (MLB) as a member club of the National League (NL) Central division. Since the 2006 season, the Cardinals ha ...

fan. He showed no interest in football until moving to Texas. In three years of varsity football at Hooks High School, he rushed 1,128 times (a state record at the time, currently second behind

Robert Strait Robert Strait (born November 14, 1969) is a former American football running back. Strait is considered one of the best high-school football players in Texas history. While playing at Cuero High School from 1985–88, Strait rushed for 8,411 ya ...

) for 7,738 yards, including 441 carries in 1973 (another state record at the time, currently tied for second behind Ketric Sanford). Sims' 38 games with 100 yards or more rushing (1972-1974) is tied for third place in all-time Texas high school records (with Ken Hall and

Steve Worster Stephen Clark Worster (July 8, 1949 – August 13, 2022) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League (CFL). Following his prep career in Texas, he played college f ...

) behind Robert Strait's 41 games, and Wes Danaher's 43 100-yard games.

College career

Sims attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for coach

Barry Switzer Barry Layne Switzer (born October 5, 1937) is a former American football coach and player. He served for 16 years as head football coach at the University of Oklahoma and four years as head coach of the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football Le ...

's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 1975 to 1979. After playing only one game in his freshman year of 1975, injuries kept Sims out of the lineup for most of his sophomore season, which allowed him to red-shirt to gain an extra year of eligibility. Injuries continued to plague Sims for half of his (red-shirt) sophomore season in 1977 (he rushed for only 545 yards total in two seasons in 1975 and 1977, plus one game in 1976.) In 1978, Sims rushed for 1,762 yards on 231 carries as a red-shirt junior, averaging 7.6 yards per carry. Including the postseason, Sims had 1,896 yards. Both the before and after bowl game totals led the NCAA. He also set a total yardage school record that stood until 2004, when freshman

Adrian Peterson Adrian Lewis Peterson (born March 21, 1985) is an American football running back who is a free agent. He is widely considered to be one of the greatest running backs in football history. He played college football at Oklahoma, where he set the ...

ran for 1,925 yards. Subsequently, Sims was awarded the Heisman Trophy for the 1978 season, becoming only the sixth junior to do so."1978 Heisman Trophy Voting."
''www.sports-reference.com.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014."Heisman Trophy Winners."
''www.heisman.com.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014. He was runner-up for the Heisman the following season in 1979, coming in second to Charles White of USC."1979 Heisman Trophy Voting."
''www.sports-reference.com.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014. In 1979, against then-unbeaten Nebraska, who had the No. 1 rushing defense in the country at the time, Sims ran for 247 yards and helped the Sooners to a 17–14 win. Including the bowl game he had 248 attempts for 1,670 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per carry, and scored 23 touchdowns. He also became the first running back in

Big 8 Conference The Big Eight Conference was a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA)-affiliated Division I-A college athletic association that sponsored football. It was formed in January 1907 as the Missouri Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Associatio ...

(now merged to form the

Big 12 Conference The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its ...

) history to rush for 200-yards in three consecutive games, and had four 200-yard games in a single season. After losing to the

Arkansas Razorbacks The Arkansas Razorbacks, also known as the Hogs, are the intercollegiate athletics teams representing the University of Arkansas, located in Fayetteville. The University of Arkansas student body voted to change the name of the school mascot (ori ...

31–6 in 1978, Sims led the Sooners to two consecutive

Orange Bowl The Orange Bowl is an annual American college football bowl game played in the Miami metropolitan area. It has been played annually since January 1, 1935, making it, along with the Sugar Bowl and the Sun Bowl, the second-oldest bowl game ...

titles in three straight appearances. In the Orange Bowl following the 1978 season, he rushed for 134 yards and scored two touchdowns in a 31–24 win over the

Nebraska Cornhuskers The Nebraska Cornhuskers (often abbreviated to Huskers) are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. The university is a member of the Big Ten Conference, and the Cornhuskers compete in NCAA Divis ...

. In his final game, he ran for 164 yards as Oklahoma beat the previously-undefeated Florida State Seminoles by a score of 24–7. Sims ended his career at OU with 3,813 yards; most of those yards came in his final two seasons.

College statistics

* Includes bowl games.

Professional career

As he expected, Sims was the first overall pick in the 1980

. He spent his career with the Detroit Lions, making the Pro Bowl in 1980, 1981, and 1982. Sims led Detroit to the playoffs in 1982 and 1983, but they lost in their first game in both appearances. In the 1983 NFC divisional playoff game at

Candlestick Park Candlestick Park was an outdoor stadium on the West Coast of the United States, located in San Francisco's Bayview Heights area. The stadium was originally the home of Major League Baseball's San Francisco Giants, who played there from 1960 ...

against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, Sims ran for 114 yards on 20 carries, but

Joe Montana Joseph Clifford Montana Jr. (born June 11, 1956) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons, primarily with the San Francisco 49ers. Nicknamed "Joe Cool" and "the Comeback Kid", ...

led the 49ers to a comeback victory, as Detroit kicker

Eddie Murray Eddie Clarence Murray (born February 24, 1956), nicknamed "Steady Eddie," is an American former Major League Baseball (MLB) first baseman, designated hitter, and coach. Spending most of his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles, he ranks fourth ...

missed a potential game-winning field goal in the waning moments. In 1983, Sims' agent, Jerry Argovitz, took control of a

USFL The United States Football League (USFL) was a professional American football league that played for three seasons, 1983 through 1985. The league played a spring/summer schedule in each of its active seasons. The 1986 season was scheduled to be ...

expansion franchise, the

Houston Gamblers The Houston Gamblers were an American football team that competed in the United States Football League in 1984 and 1985. The Gamblers were coached by veteran NFL head coach Jack Pardee in both their seasons. They were noteworthy for introducing ...

. On July 1, 1983, while seeking a new pact from the Lions, Sims secretly signed a five-year, $3.5 million contract with the Gamblers; in December, he also signed a new, five-year, $4.5 million contract extension with Detroit. The matter wound up in court, and on February 10, 1984, a federal judge voided the Houston pact, sending Sims back to Detroit. Sims' career ultimately ended midway through the 1984 season when he suffered a catastrophic right knee injury in a game against the

Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) North division. Founded in 1960 as an expansi ...

on October 21; in that game, Sims set the all-time Lions rushing record (now held by

Barry Sanders Barry Sanders (born July 16, 1968) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL), from 1989 to 1998 for the Detroit Lions. Sanders led the league in rushing yards four times and ...

) with 5,106 yards on 1,131 carries, or 4.5 yards per carry. Sims also caught 186 passes for 2,072 yards (11.1 yards per catch). He spent two years attempting to rehabilitate his knee before finally retiring in 1986."A Billy Sims Comeback?"
Observer-Reporter, December 20, 1988. ''Google Books.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014. Sims remains a beloved sports figure in Detroit."Detroit Lions Gridiron Heroes: Billy Sims."
''www.detroitlions.com.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014. His team uniform number 20 was worn five years after his retirement by

, and is currently retired as an unofficial "

triumvirate A triumvirate ( la, triumvirātus) or a triarchy is a political institution ruled or dominated by three individuals, known as triumvirs ( la, triumviri). The arrangement can be formal or informal. Though the three leaders in a triumvirate are ...

" of the greatest Lions in the modern era to ever wear the number, which also includes Hall of Fame defensive back

Lem Barney Lemuel Joseph Barney (September 8, 1945) is a former American football player. A native of Gulfport, Mississippi, he played college football at Jackson State from 1964 to 1966. He was drafted by the Detroit Lions of the National Football Leag ...

Comeback attempt

In 1988, four years after the knee injury that forced his retirement, Sims announced he was attempting a comeback with the Lions for the 1989 season. Speaking with

Detroit Free Press The ''Detroit Free Press'' is the largest daily newspaper in Detroit, Michigan, US. The Sunday edition is titled the ''Sunday Free Press''. It is sometimes referred to as the Freep (reflected in the paper's web address, www.freep.com). It primari ...

columnist

Mitch Albom Mitchell David Albom (born May 23, 1958) is an American author, journalist, and musician. His books have sold over 40 million copies worldwide. Having achieved national recognition for sports writing in his early career, he turned to writing the ...

, Sims claimed to be "as fit as he was in 1983." He offered to play the season with a

blank check A blank cheque in the literal sense is a cheque that has no monetary value written in, but is already signed. In the figurative sense, it is used to describe a situation in which an agreement has been made that is open-ended or vague, and therefo ...

, allowing Lions management to assess his value and fill in the salary amount accordingly. Sims hoped to meet with then-General Manager

Russ Thomas John Russell Thomas (July 24, 1924 – March 19, 1991) was an American football tackle who played four seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Lions in the third round of the 1946 NFL Draft. He ...

and owner William Clay Ford, Sr. to discuss a spot on the team's roster.

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. ne ...

"IN BRIEF : Sims Hoping for Detroit Comeback."

Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the U ...

, December 19, 1988. Retrieved November 16, 2014. Despite some interest from Lions head coach

Wayne Fontes Wayne Fontes (; born February 2, 1940) is a former American football coach and college and professional football player who was the head coach of the National Football League's Detroit Lions from 1988 to 1996. His 67 wins and 71 losses are each t ...

,"A Billy Sims Comeback?"
Observer-Reporter, December 20, 1988. Google News Archive. Retrieved November 201, 2014. Sims never returned to the NFL.

NFL career statistics

Life after football

Financial difficulties

When Billy Sims retired from the Lions in 1984, he received a $1.9 million insurance settlement from

Lloyd's of London Lloyd's of London, generally known simply as Lloyd's, is an insurance and reinsurance market located in London, England. Unlike most of its competitors in the industry, it is not an insurance company; rather, Lloyd's is a corporate body gove ...

, in addition to the several million dollars he earned during his playing career.Hailey, Gary
"Billy Sims: Bankruptcy, Bouncing Back...and BBQ."
''Naptime Huddle'', October 24, 2012. Retrieved November 22, 2014. Sims lost his accumulated wealth through a series of failed business ventures. His numerous businesses included a nightclub, a radio station, a dry cleaner, and a car parts manufacturer.

Selling the Heisman

In 1995, he sold his Heisman Trophy to Texas businessman Bob White, who had been a father figure to Sims since he was in the ninth grade; White's son played high school football with Sims.Taylor, Jeff
"A Most Desperate Option Play: Sims Once Sold His Heisman."

The Seattle Times ''The Seattle Times'' is a daily newspaper serving Seattle, Washington, United States. It was founded in 1891 and has been owned by the Blethen family since 1896. ''The Seattle Times'' has the largest circulation of any newspaper in Washington ...

, March 29, 1998. Retrieved November 22, 2014. The trophy was sold to White with the agreement that it could be re-purchased by Sims by paying the original price plus 8.5% interest.

Recent years

In 2007, a bronze statue of Sims was dedicated on the University of Oklahoma campus in Heisman Park, commemorating his 1978 award. The life and one half size statue was created by sculptor Jim Franklin in his studio in Perry, Oklahoma. The bronze was cast by the Bronze Horse Foundry in Pawhuska, Oklahoma. Sims began giving the "Boomer! Sooner!" Oklahoma cheer immediately following the naming of the winner at the Heisman Trophy induction ceremonies of the four most recent Oklahoma Sooner winners of the trophy, Jason White,

, Baker Mayfield, and

Kyler Murray Kyler Cole Murray (born August 7, 1997) is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League (NFL). Following a stint at Texas A&M, Murray played college football at Oklahoma, where he won the Heisman Trop ...

and held up a sign reading "Boomer" during the 2009 Heisman ceremony. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Sims is honored in Hooks with Billy Sims Road, and the local library displays a collection of his photos;Richardson, Steve
100 Things Oklahoma Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

Triumph Books Triumph Books is a Chicago-based sports book publisher. The company is well known for its "instant books", such as its illustrated tribute to NASCAR driver Dale Earnhardt, which was released 10 days after his death in a crash in the 2001 Daytona ...

, 2014. .

Google Books Google Books (previously known as Google Book Search, Google Print, and by its code-name Project Ocean) is a service from Google Inc. that searches the full text of books and magazines that Google has scanned, converted to text using optical ...

. Retrieved November 22, 2014.Pasche, Paula
100 Things Lions Fans Should Know & Do Before They Die.

Chicago (''City in a Garden''); I Will , image_map = , map_caption = Interactive Map of Chicago , coordinates = , coordinates_footnotes = , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name ...

, 2012. .

. Retrieved November 22, 2014. Sims said while at Oklahoma that he preferred his home town to big cities. He maintains 54 Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants franchises with co-founder Jeff Jackson."About: Billy Sims BBQ."
''www.billysimsbbq.com.'' Retrieved November 16, 2014.

Career accomplishments

*High School (Hooks High School 1972–74, High School Coach: Jack Coleman) ** Consecutive 100-yard games: 38 (state record) ** Total 100-yard games: 38 ** Total points: 516 ** Carries-season: 441 (1973; 378 in 1974) ** Rushing yards in a seasons: 3,080 (1973; 2,885 in 1974) ** Career carries: 1,128 ** Total yards: 7,738 *Collegiate ** Two-time All-American ( 1978,

1979 Events January * January 1 ** United Nations Secretary-General Kurt Waldheim heralds the start of the '' International Year of the Child''. Many musicians donate to the '' Music for UNICEF Concert'' fund, among them ABBA, who write the so ...

) ** 1978 Heisman Trophy Winner ** 1978

Walter Camp Award The Walter Camp Player of the Year Award is given annually to the collegiate American football player of the year, as decided by a group of National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I FBS head coaches and sports information directo ...

** 1978 AP &

UPI United Press International (UPI) is an American international news agency whose newswires, photo, news film, and audio services provided news material to thousands of newspapers, magazines, radio and television stations for most of the 20th c ...

College Player of the Year ** 1978 UPI Player of the Year ** 1978 Sporting News Player of the Year ** 1978 Harley Award Winner ** 1979 Heisman Runner-Up ** Orange Bowl Hall of Fame Trophy ** Big Eight Player of the Year (1978, 1979) ** Career carries: 538 ** Rushing yards per-carry: 7.1 ** Total yards: 4,118 (4,041 rushing; 3,890 regular season; 3,813 rushing – 77 receiving) ** Touchdowns: 52 (50 rushing) ** Total points: 312 (126 in 1978, 132 in 1979) *NFL ** 3-Time Pro-Bowl selection ** 32nd – NFL All-Time Rushing Yards Per-Carry (4.515) ** 75th, along with

Calvin Hill Calvin G. Hill (born January 2, 1947) is a retired American football player. He played running back in the National Football League (NFL) for twelve seasons. Hill played for the Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins, and Cleveland Browns. He also p ...

& Don Perkins, – NFL All-Time Rushing Touchdowns (42) ** 135th – NFL All-Time Rushing Yardage (5,106) ** 1st player to score 3 touchdowns in first NFL game.

References

External links

* * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Billy 1955 births Living people African-American players of American football All-American college football players American football running backs College Football Hall of Fame inductees Detroit Lions players Heisman Trophy winners National Conference Pro Bowl players National Football League first-overall draft picks National Football League Offensive Rookie of the Year Award winners National Football League players with retired numbers Oklahoma Sooners football players Players of American football from St. Louis Players of American football from Texas People from Hooks, Texas 21st-century African-American people 20th-century African-American sportspeople