Age: 25 (Sept. 18)
College: Oklahoma
Height: 6’0” Weight: 210
Prelude:
Highly recruited after
gaining 7738 rushing yards in high school, Sims was initially hampered by
injuries at Oklahoma but broke out as a junior to rush for 1762 yards and 20
touchdowns to win the 1978 Heisman Trophy, While he followed up with 1509 yards
and 22 TDs in ’79, he finished second in the Heisman voting but was taken by
the Lions as the first overall pick of the 1980 NFL draft and moved directly
into the starting lineup.
1980 Season Summary
Appeared in all 16 games
[Bracketed numbers indicate
league rank in Top 20]
Rushing
Attempts – 313 [3]
Most attempts, game - 30
(for 126 yds.) vs. Baltimore
11/16
Yards – 1303 [5]
Most yards, game – 157 yards
(on 27 carries) vs. Minnesota
9/28
Average gain – 4.2 [15]
TDs – 13 [1, tied with Earl Campbell]
100-yard rushing games – 5
Pass Receiving
Receptions – 51
Most receptions, game – 11
(for 96 yds.) vs. San Francisco
11/2
Yards – 621
Most yards, game - 96 (on 11
catches) vs. San Francisco
11/2
Average gain – 12.2
TDs – 3
All-Purpose yards – 1924 [3, 1st in NFC]
Scoring
TDs – 16 [1]
Points – 96 [9, tied with Matt Bahr & Tony Franklin]
Awards & Honors:
NFL Rookie of the Year: NEA,
Sporting News
NFL Offensive Rookie of the
Year: AP, PFWA
NFC Rookie of the Year: UPI
Pro Bowl
Lions went 9-7 to finish
second in the NFC Central while finishing third in the NFL in rushing (2599
yards).
Aftermath:
Sims went to the Pro Bowl
the next two seasons, following up his outstanding rookie year with 1437 rushing
yards, 451 pass receiving yards, and 15 TDs in 1981 and 981 total yards during
the strike-shortened ’82 season. He was back over a thousand yards in 1983
(1040) and caught 42 passes, but after getting out of a contract that would
have had him jumping to the USFL’s Houston Gamblers and instead re-signing with
the Lions, he suffered a major knee injury during the ’84 season that finished
his career. Over the course of five years and 60 games, he rushed for 5106
yards while averaging 4.5 yards per carry, caught 186 passes for another 2072
yards, and scored a total of 47 touchdowns.
--
Rookie of the Year Profiles feature players who were named Rookie of the Year in
the NFL, AFL (1960-69), or USFL (1983-85) by a recognized organization
(Associated Press – Offense or Defense, Newspaper Enterprise Association,
United Press International, The Sporting News, or the league itself – Pepsi NFL
Rookie of the Year).
[Updated 2/6/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]
[Updated 2/6/14]
[Updated 11/28/14]
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