Oklahoma

Billy Sims
 (Game Worn)
 

Billy Sims did it with style. He had all the tools needed to be a great runner and he simply added a unique style to his ability. Billy would head for the sideline at a speed seemingly too fast to turn up the field. Then he lowered his inside shoulder and bent his body from the waist, his hand almost touching the ground, and much like a fighter jet's wing it allowed him to make the turn and keep going down field while would be tacklers accumulated past the sidelines unable to adjust their path of pursuit. In the open field Billy had the high kick and stride of a college marching band leader taking the field for the half-time show. He usually scored a touchdown from the corner of
the end zone then he would combine that lean and high step to arc around the back of the end zone and just like a spaceship orbiting around the moon gravity would pull him back to Earth or the player's bench.

Barry Switzer recognized Billy Sim's ability and won an unprecedented recruiting war for him by stationing an assistant in Billy's hometown of Hooks, Texas for 77 days wooing Billy. Switzer himself called Sims during the half-time of an Oklahoma game. Billy had a Heisman appetite. Prior to winning the Heisman award in his junior year at OU Billy won the Texas "Little Heisman" award as outstanding prep player. He was the first player selected in the 1980 NFL draft and had a short but outstanding pro career with the Detroit Lions that ended prematurely due to a devastating knee injury.

Sims wore this Kelly model "100 MH" to win the Heisman award at Oklahoma. The clear shell helmet has the OU decals and paint applied to the inside of the helmet. Billy has autographed the helmet and added "1978 Heisman" below his name. Billy's helmet size 7 5/8 is somewhat large compared to his body size. He wore a Shutt model "opo" green dot (large size) facemask. His player numerals "20" are applied to the outside shell surface at the rear of the helmet. The numerous "war wounds" on the surface of the helmet indicate that Billy was also tough enough to mix it up between the tackles before he broke into the secondary.