Billy Sims: BBQ Pitmaster and legendary football player
DETROIT (BVM) – The No. 20 holds a significant amount of respect in the Detroit Lions franchise. Hall of Famers Lem Barney and Barry Sanders once donned the number as they helped the Lions through some of the most successful seasons in team history. Another player who once wore the number is one people may not remember as well but should be remembered for the amazing skills he displayed in a limited amount of time.
That player was running back Billy Sims, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft, who would go on to become the Lions’ all-time leading rusher in just five seasons. While his NFL career may have not been as long as many expected, his career after football has kept Sims in the limelight.
Early years and high school football
Growing up in St. Louis, Sims didn’t have dreams of playing football at a high level. No, he wanted to be a baseball player and worked to become the next Bob Gibson, the Hall of Fame St. Louis Cardinals pitcher. However, a move to the small town of Hooks, Texas during his eighth–grade year pushed Sims into an environment that was all football all the time. Though he would focus on baseball during both his eighth-grade and ninth-grade years, Sims would be introduced to football as a sophomore and would never look back.
That season, the running back burst onto the scene for Hooks High School in a campaign that included rushing for 381 yards and five touchdowns in a 45-35 regional playoff victory over Rockwall High School. In addition to scoring runs of 57, 44 and 28 yards, he also added a 66-yard punt return touchdown and kicked three extra points.
This would be the start of a standout career that saw Sims rush for a then-state record 7,738 yards in his career, be named all-state twice and All-South and All-American as a senior. His 441 carries during his senior season is still the fourth most in Texas high school history as are his 1,128 career carries. His 38 consecutive 100-yard games is still the most in the state’s history with only one player coming close when Keith Music had 31 from 1987-1989.
Sims was inducted into the Texas High School Football Hall of Fame in 1985.
Oklahoma Sooners
The star running back had his choice of programs to choose from following his graduation in 1975, but ultimately decided to join the program at the University of Oklahoma. Sims immediately saw playing time as a freshman with the Sooners, rushing for 95 yards, though injuries cut his season short and forced him to pick up a medical redshirt in 1976. As a sophomore in 1977, Sims recovered to rush for 413 yards and six touchdowns, but he didn’t show what had made him a Texas high school star.
Then came the 1978 season. The 6-foot, 205-pound junior set a Big Eight single-season rushing record with 1,762 yards as he led the nation in rushing, averaging more than 7.0 yards per carry, and scored 20 touchdowns. He topped the 200-yard mark in four different games, setting a program record, and guided the Sooners to a 10-1 regular season and a No. 4 ranking in the polls.
After the regular season, Sims was awarded the Heisman Trophy and put a cherry on top of his junior campaign by 134 yards in a Sooners Orange Bowl victory. The team finished the season at No. 3 in the national polls.
#FlashbackFriday 1978 at the @HeismanTrophy. Can't wait to be back in person with all of them tomorrow night! Tune in to @espn at 7PM CST. #BillySims #Heisman @Barry_Switzer pic.twitter.com/baeA0a10TK
— Billy Sims (@RealBillySims) December 11, 2021
The next season, Sims was expected to do much of the same and he came very close to it. As a senior, Sims rushed for 1,670 yards and 23 touchdowns, recording nine 100-yard performances and three 200-yard performances. He finished second in the Heisman Trophy voting that year, becoming one of just six players to ever win and finish as a runner-up for the award.
Sims finished his Sooners career with a program record 4,118 yards while also holding records for rushing yards in a single season (1,896) though both records would be broken in the 21st century.
Detroit Lions and injury
As one of the clear-cut top players at the collegiate level, it came as no surprise that NFL teams desired Sims. The team who held the No. 1 pick for the 1980 NFL Draft, the Detroit Lions, were coming off of a 2-14 season and in desperate need of talent. With that, the Lions chose Sims and he continued his ascent in football.
During his first season in the Motor City, the 6-foot, 212-pound running back showed why he deserved to be the top pick. Playing and starting in all 16 games, Sims rushed for a then-rookie record of 1,303 yards and led the league with 13 rushing touchdowns and 16 total touchdowns. He was named the 1980 Rookie of the Year, was voted to the Pro Bowl and was named second-team All-Pro.
The next year was more of the same for Sims. Playing and starting 14 games, Sims rushed for a career-best 1,437 yards with 13 rushing touchdowns and 15 total touchdowns. He was once again voted to the Pro Bowl and second–team All-Pro and finished sixth in the Offensive Player of the Year voting.
Unfortunately, years of heavy usage started catching up to the 27-year-old during his third season. Sims played in just nine games with eight starts during the year, failing to reach the 1,000-yard, 10-touchdown plateaus with only 639 yards and four total touchdowns. Although it was a down year, Sims still played well enough to earn Pro Bowl honors, the final of his career.
The next season, Sims would somewhat bounce back with a respectable 1,040 rushing yards and seven touchdowns during the 1983 season, but the injury was clearly holding the dynamic runner back. In 1984, Sims played and started just eight games and rushed for 687 yards and five touchdowns. This would mark the end of his NFL career after just five seasons.
While his career was more of a shooting star than a constellation, Sims’ play for a brief amount of time shone brightly. He finished his Lions career with a then-franchise record 5,106 rushing yards. To this day only Sanders has bested that mark in team history, showing how truly special Sims was in the City of Detroit.
“I look at my career, I was very fortunate and blessed,” Sims told Mike OHara of the Detroit Lions website in 2020. “A lot of guys didn’t get the opportunity to get that far. I’m very appreciative of the Lions’ organization to this day.”
Billy Sims BBQ
Years after his NFL career, Sims met with entrepreneur Jeff Jackson. Jackson, a native of Kansas City, had learned that Sims had a passion for barbeque and the two decided to go into business together, creating the Billy Sims Barbeque restaurant chain.
In 2004, Billy Sims Barbeque opened its first restaurant in the Farm Shopping Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma and it has blossomed from there. By 2008, the company was operating six locations and decided to open up to franchising opportunities. This has been a wise decision for the business partners as the company now has 45 locations across nine states including Michigan, Oklahoma and Texas, all spots that Sims’ holds close to his heart.
#ThrowbackThursday 2004 at the very first @BillySimsBBQ in #Tulsa, OK.#billysims #heisman #boomersooner #oudna #soonernation #tbt pic.twitter.com/tUTgRRA7ha
— Billy Sims (@RealBillySims) July 21, 2022
In 2020, Sims opened his second chain of restaurants, Billy Sims Burger in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Currently just the one location, the venture shows Sims’ willingness to continue to grow his group of restaurants and brands.
You say #Heisman Burger, I come running. 💨 #BillySims #BillyBurger pic.twitter.com/ELLvDWTKxc
— Billy Sims (@RealBillySims) June 12, 2022
Despite playing in an era before football players started signing lucrative contracts, Sims currently has a net worth of $100,000. Not bad for a player who only lasted five seasons in the NFL.
Legacy
Though his career was short compared to modern NFL running backs, Sims is well remembered by those who watched him. In 1994, Sims was inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. The next year, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Many Lions fans and NFL analysts have pushed for Sims’ consideration into the Pro Football Hall of Fame over recent years, given his success in such a short period of time much like Hall of Famer Gale Sayers. While those calls have mostly fallen on deaf ears, the fact that many still push for Sims shows just how big of an impact he made on the game during his time.
Today, Sims still lives in Oklahoma overlooking the staff at the new Billy Burger. A huge Oklahoma fan, Sims can be frequently caught posing with the Sooners faithful and posting the photos to his Twitter page.
I always tell people I support both Sooners and Cowboys except for 1 day of the year. BOOMER SOONER! Lets have some fun. #billysims #bedlam #heisman #boomersooner #bedlam #soonernation #oudna pic.twitter.com/yDa1TCilCL
— Billy Sims (@RealBillySims) November 27, 2021
While Sims may not have become the NFL star people expected, it is clear that he still has plenty of fans. With a growing portfolio of successful business ventures, expect to continue to see Sims for years to come.
