Link to Kenneth Sims https://youtu.be/nvdjeRBnT9w

UT Great Kenneth Sims Dies At 65
 by Larry Carlson  https://texaslsn.org
 
Legendary Longhorn and College Football Hall of Famer Kenneth Sims died Friday.  He was 65 and had reportedly been ill.
Sims, a defensive lineman who earned All-America honors in 1980 and 1981, followed Tommy Nobis and Earl Campbell as Longhorns, who were the overall first pick in the NFL draft.  The New England Patriots selected Sims, 6-5, 27,5 and quick, to open the ’82 draft. He had a very productive and successful rookie season but was soon regularly plagued by his knees, legs, and back injuries.  Sims played his entire pro career, eight seasons, with New England.
 
Sims came to UT from Groesbeck High, near his home in tiny Kosse, about 40 miles east of Waco.  This writer was covering the Horns for Austin’s KVET Radio when Sims arrived to play for Texas in the late summer of ’78.  He was instantly the biggest player at Memorial Stadium and was quickly known to teammates as an overgrown kid who seemed endowed with a permanent smile.  He was dubbed “Pup.”

Johnny Sky Walker said, “As a freshman in 1980, I had the pleasure of having Sims as an incredible teammate. After each practice we had 7 on 7 offensive vs defense when after going over the top, Sims brought to life my nickname “Skywalker”. it has stuck with me forever! Rest in Peace Teammate!🙏🏽🙏🏽

 “Everybody loved him,” Lance Taylor remembered from his Tulsa home on Friday.  “Great guy, Taylor said. “Always happy and upbeat.”
Taylor, an All-Southwest Conference linebacker as a soph in ’77, said that Sims, who got significant snaps while a defensive teammate in ’78 and ’79,  Sims would’ve started even as a raw freshman, had it not been for the presence of veteran standouts Steve McMichael and Bill Acker, both from Freer, as warrior tackles.
Instead, Sims learned from the fierce duo, picked up plenty of experience, then excelled and dominated after they moved to the NFL.
 
In ’81, as a Longhorn senior, Sims headed a stonewalling UT defense that led the Horns to a 10-1-1 season and Cotton Bowl championship.  His defensive mates included DE Kiki DeAyala, DB William Graham and linebackers Jeff Leiding and Bruce Scholtz.  That season, Sims became the first Longhorn to win the Lombardi Award, given to college football’s top lineman on either side of the ball.  Three years later, former teammate Tony Degrate won the Lombardi.  Longhorn standout Brian Orakpo took home the block of granite in 2008 and, just last winter, UT offensive tackle Kelvin Banks, Jr, won the award.
 
Perhaps Sims’ best pro season came in 1985, his fourth year with the Patriots.  Sadly, a late-season injury robbed Sims of the opportunity to play in the Super Bowl, in which the Patriots faced off against the Chicago Bears and his former tutor, McMichael, who was elected last summer to the NFL Hall of Fame.

Kirk Bohls captured the quotes below for the Houston Chronicle.

“That’s so sad. Kenneth was one of the greatest players I ever played with, college or pro,” said Holle, the former Longhorn linebacker who played in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs. “But more importantly he was just a genuinely nice, humble, small-town guy. In college he was a dominating force and so awesome to line up next to.”
 
The late Texas head football coach Fred Akers informed NFL scouts before the 1982 draft that “Kenneth is every bit as good at what he does as Earl (Campbell) is at what he does.” His draft grade was on equal footing with running back great O.J. Simpson.

One-time Longhorn strength coach Dana LeDuc said that Sims “could totally disrupt a game, whether we were playing North Texas or Oklahoma.”

The late Texas head football coach Fred Akers informed NFL scouts before the 1982 draft that “Kenneth is every bit as good at what he does as Earl (Campbell) is at what he does.” His draft grade was on equal footing with running back great O.J. Simpson.

Texas senior associate athletic director Chris Plonsky was recently inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. “He was a Renaissance man. Plus, he was the first Texas football guy I ever saw toss an offensive lineman around after I got hired here in the fall of ’81.”