No. 20 | |||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||
Date of birth: | September 18, 1955 | ||||||||
Place of birth: | St. Louis, Missouri | ||||||||
Height: | 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) | ||||||||
Weight: | 212 lb (96 kg) | ||||||||
Career information | |||||||||
High school: | Hooks (TX) | ||||||||
College: | Oklahoma | ||||||||
NFL Draft: | 1980 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1 | ||||||||
Career history | |||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
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Rushing yards: | 5,106 |
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Average: | 4.5 |
Touchdowns: | 42 |
Player stats at NFL.com |
Billy Ray Sims (born September 18, 1955) is a former American college and professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for five seasons during the 1980s. Sims played college football for the University of Oklahoma, 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, and played professionally for the NFL's Detroit Lions. Sims was the last Oklahoma player taken Number 1 overall in the NFL Draft until quarterback Sam Bradford was taken first in the 2010 NFL Draft. He was given the nickname "Kung Fu Billy Sims" by ESPN's Chris Berman, after a game where the Detroit Lions played the Houston Oilers. In the NFL Films 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.
Sims was born in St. Louis, Missouri, 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 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) for 7,738 yards, including 441 carries in 1973 (another state record at the time, currently tied for second behind Ketric Sanford). Sims currently holds the state record for most consecutive games with 100 yards or more, 38 (1972–1974).