1. Billy Ray Sims was born on September 18,1955 and is an American former professional football player who was a running back for five seasons with the Detroit Lions of the National Football League from 1980 to 1984.
24 Facts About Billy Sims
1. 2.
Billy Sims was selected by the Lions with first overall pick of the 1980 NFL draft.
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Billy Sims was the last Oklahoma player taken number one overall in the NFL Draft until quarterback Sam Bradford was taken first in the 2010 NFL draft.
4.
Billy Sims initially played baseball and grew up a St Louis Cardinals fan.
5.
Billy Sims showed no interest in football until moving to Texas.
6.
Billy Sims attended the University of Oklahoma, where he played for coach Barry Switzer's Oklahoma Sooners football team from 1975 to 1979.
7.
Billy Sims set a total yardage school record that stood until 2004, when freshman Adrian Peterson ran for 1,925 yards.
8.
Subsequently, Billy Sims was awarded the Heisman Trophy for the 1978 season, becoming only the sixth junior to do so.
9.
Billy Sims was runner-up for the Heisman the following season in 1979, coming in second to Charles White of USC.
10.
Billy Sims became the first running back in Big 8 Conference history to rush for 200-yards in three consecutive games, and had four 200-yard games in a single season.
11.
Billy Sims ended his career at OU with 3,813 yards; most of those yards came in his final two seasons.
12.
Billy Sims spent his career with the Detroit Lions, making the Pro Bowl in 1980,1981, and 1982.
13.
Billy Sims led Detroit to the playoffs in 1982 and 1983, but they lost in their first game in both appearances.
14.
On July 1,1983, while seeking a new pact from the Lions, Billy Sims secretly signed a five-year, $3.5 million contract with the Gamblers; in December, he signed a new, five-year, $4.5 million contract extension with Detroit.
15.
Billy Sims spent two years attempting to rehabilitate his knee before finally retiring in 1986.
16.
In 1988, four years after the knee injury that forced his retirement, Billy Sims announced he was attempting a comeback with the Lions for the 1989 season, which would be Sanders' rookie year.
17.
Billy Sims hoped to meet with Lions general manager Russ Thomas and owner William Clay Ford Sr.
18.
When Billy Sims retired from the Detroit Lions in 1984, he received a $1.9 million insurance settlement from Lloyd's of London, in addition to several million dollars he earned during his playing career.
19.
Billy Sims lost his accumulated wealth through a series of failed business ventures.
20.
In 2007, a bronze statue of Billy Sims was dedicated on the University of Oklahoma campus in Heisman Park, commemorating his 1978 award.
21.
Billy Sims held up a sign reading "Boomer" during the 2009 Heisman ceremony.
22.
Sims is honored in Hooks, Texas with Billy Sims Road named in his honor.
23.
The local library displays a collection of his photos; Billy Sims said while at Oklahoma that he preferred his home town to big cities.
24.
Billy Sims maintains 30+ Billy Sims Barbecue restaurants franchises with co-founder Jeff Jackson.