Michael Anthony Sims-Walker (born Michael Anthony Walker on November 21, 1984) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wit ...
wide receiver. He most recently played for the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...
. He was drafted by the
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team pla ...
in the third round of the
2007 NFL Draft. He played
college football at
UCF.
Sims-Walker also played for the
St. Louis Rams.
Early years
Sims-Walker played
high school football
High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, partl ...
at
Edgewater High School in
Orlando, Florida.
College career
Sims-Walker played
college football at
UCF, where he was a teammate of fellow NFL receiver
Brandon Marshall
Brandon Tyrone Marshall (born March 23, 1984) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver for 13 seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the UCF Knights, and was drafted ...
.
Sims-Walker played in 12 games as a true freshman and has 21 receptions for 337 yards. During his sophomore year, he played six games at cornerback due to injuries to the team. He had 9 catches for 191 yards, and also had three interceptions while playing defense. During his junior year, he played exclusively as wide receiver and ranked second on the team with 64 receptions for 855 yards and 9 touchdowns. During his senior year, he set the
UCF record for most receptions in a single season with 90. He was a two-time All-Conference USA Selection during his collegiate career. He played in a total of 46 career games with 184 receptions for 2,561 yards (13.9 ypc average).
Professional career
2007 NFL Draft
Jacksonville Jaguars
Sims-Walker was drafted by the Jaguars in the third round of the
2007 NFL Draft. He was unable to play during his first season because of a knee injury suffered in the fourth preseason game against the
Washington Redskins
The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) ...
.
In 2008, he played in nine games posting 16 receptions for 217 yards.
In 2009, Sims-Walker rebounded to become the Jaguars' leader in receptions (63) and receiving yards (869).
St. Louis Rams
After the 2010-2011 season, Sims-Walker became a free agent. On July 29, 2011, he was signed by the
St. Louis Rams. He was released on October 17, 2011.
Return to Jacksonville
On October 19, Sims-Walker re-signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars. He was placed on the
injured reserve
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
list on November 2, ending his season. He was released from the injured reserve list on December 4, 2011.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
On August 27, 2013, Sims-Walker signed with the
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a professional Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Blue Bombers compete in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member club of the league's West Division (CFL), West division. They play their h ...
of the
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ...
. He signed with the Bombers halfway through the
2013 CFL season
The 2013 CFL season was the 60th season of modern-day Canadian football. Officially, it was the 56th season of the Canadian Football League.
The pre-season began on June 12, 2013 and the regular season began on June 27, 2013. Regina, Saskatchewa ...
. He was released by the Blue Bombers on March 6, 2014.
Personal life
In 2009, Walker officially changed his surname to Sims-Walker to honor his father, Michael Sims, who died from
colon cancer
Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...
on December 6, 2008. In 2010, he created the Mike Sims-Walker Foundation to honor his father. Through his foundation, he launched the Playmaker 11 Scholarship that provided 10 $200 one-time book stipends and one $1,000 book stipend to graduating high school seniors in the Jacksonville-area and his hometown of Orlando, Florida.
Sims-Walker is the uncle of
Jeff Sims
Jeff Sims (born January 1, 2002) is an American football player. He plays college football for the Nebraska Cornhuskers. He formerly played for the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets.
Early years
Sims played high school football for Sandalwood High ...
, the current starting quarterback for 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 Divisi ...
.,
In popular culture
Video games
Sims-Walker, along with fellow Orlando native and NFL player
Chris Johnson, has a unique celebration animation, the "Chopper City Juke," in ''
Madden NFL 11.''
References
External links
*
UCF Knights bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims-Walker, Mike
1984 births
Living people
Players of American football from Orlando, Florida
Players of Canadian football from Orlando, Florida
American football wide receivers
UCF Knights football players
Jacksonville Jaguars players
St. Louis Rams players
Winnipeg Blue Bombers players