Completed Event: Football versus UTEP on September 4, 2026 , Win , 51, to, 0
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Football
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University of Oklahoma Athletics
Billy Sims Named to 2026 SEC Legends Class
October 08, 2026 | Football
NORMAN — Former University of Oklahoma running back Billy Sims, who was the 1978 Heisman Trophy winner and 1979 Heisman runner-up, was announced Thursday as a member of the SEC's 2026 Football Legends class, a group of former football standouts who will be honored at events surrounding the SEC Football Championship Game in Atlanta in December.
Sims, who played at OU under head coach Barry Switzer from 1975-79, helped the Sooners to a 52-7-1 (.875) record and five Big Eight Conference titles, and was a unanimous first-team All-America selection his final two seasons when he rushed for a combined 3,566 yards and 45 touchdowns. His OU teams won three Orange Bowls, one Fiesta Bowl and the 1975 national championship.
The 71-year-old from Hooks, Texas, was the 1978 and '79 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year. As a redshirt junior in 1978, Sims rushed for a Big Eight-record and nation-leading 1,896 yards (7.4 per carry) and 22 touchdowns, guiding OU to an 11-1 record and Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska. He rushed for 100-plus yards in 11 of 12 games that season to become the Sooners' third Heisman Trophy winner, and also earned the Walter Camp Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award and Chic Harley Award.
In 1979, Sims finished second in Heisman voting as he rushed for 1,670 yards (6.7 per carry) and 23 touchdowns.
Sims finished his career as OU's all-time leading rusher (he ranks second with 4,118 yards, behind Samaje Perine's 4,122) and is still the Sooners' record holder for 200-yard rushing games in a season (four in 1978) and in a career (seven). He ranks second in OU history with 53 career rushing TDs and third with 20 100-yard rushing games, and his 1,896 and 1,670 rushing-yard totals rank second and sixth in school single-season history.
Named by Sports Illustrated in 2026 as the No. 38 college football player of all-time, Sims was selected by the Detroit Lions with the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft and was that season's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He played five seasons with the Lions before his career was cut short due to injury, starting 58 of his 60 games and rushing for 5,106 yards and 42 touchdowns
Sims was an NFL Pro Bowler each of his first three seasons and a first-team NFL All-Pro selection in 1981. His No. 20 is retired by the Lions and he was named to the organization's all-time team in 2019.
A 1980 OU graduate, Sims was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1995, and is a member of the Oklahoma, Michigan and Texas Sports Halls of Fame, as well as the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. He is the Sooners' third SEC Football Legend, joining Switzer (2024) and Lucious Selmon (2025).
2026 SEC Football Legends Class
Alabama – Nick Saban, Head Coach, 2007-23
Arkansas – Felix Jones, Running Back, 2005-07
Auburn – Benji Roland, Noseguard, 1985-88
Florida – Chris Doering, Wide Receiver, 1991-95
Georgia – Mark Richt, Head Coach, 2001-15
Kentucky – Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver, 2008-10
LSU – Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, 2008-10
Ole Miss – Tony Bennett, Linebacker, 1986-89
Mississippi State – Darius Slay, Cornerback, 2011-12
Missouri – Sean Weatherspoon, Linebacker, 2006-09
Oklahoma – Billy Sims, Running Back, 1975-79
South Carolina – Sidney Rice, Wide Receiver, 2005-06
Tennessee – John Henderson, Defensive Tackle, 1999-2001
Texas – Ricky Williams, Running Back, 1995-98
Texas A&M – Sam Adams, Defensive Line, 1991-93
Vanderbilt – Casey Hayward, Cornerback, 2008-11
Sims, who played at OU under head coach Barry Switzer from 1975-79, helped the Sooners to a 52-7-1 (.875) record and five Big Eight Conference titles, and was a unanimous first-team All-America selection his final two seasons when he rushed for a combined 3,566 yards and 45 touchdowns. His OU teams won three Orange Bowls, one Fiesta Bowl and the 1975 national championship.
The 71-year-old from Hooks, Texas, was the 1978 and '79 Big Eight Offensive Player of the Year. As a redshirt junior in 1978, Sims rushed for a Big Eight-record and nation-leading 1,896 yards (7.4 per carry) and 22 touchdowns, guiding OU to an 11-1 record and Orange Bowl victory over Nebraska. He rushed for 100-plus yards in 11 of 12 games that season to become the Sooners' third Heisman Trophy winner, and also earned the Walter Camp Trophy, Davey O'Brien Award and Chic Harley Award.
In 1979, Sims finished second in Heisman voting as he rushed for 1,670 yards (6.7 per carry) and 23 touchdowns.
Sims finished his career as OU's all-time leading rusher (he ranks second with 4,118 yards, behind Samaje Perine's 4,122) and is still the Sooners' record holder for 200-yard rushing games in a season (four in 1978) and in a career (seven). He ranks second in OU history with 53 career rushing TDs and third with 20 100-yard rushing games, and his 1,896 and 1,670 rushing-yard totals rank second and sixth in school single-season history.
Named by Sports Illustrated in 2026 as the No. 38 college football player of all-time, Sims was selected by the Detroit Lions with the first overall pick in the 1980 NFL Draft and was that season's NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year. He played five seasons with the Lions before his career was cut short due to injury, starting 58 of his 60 games and rushing for 5,106 yards and 42 touchdowns
Sims was an NFL Pro Bowler each of his first three seasons and a first-team NFL All-Pro selection in 1981. His No. 20 is retired by the Lions and he was named to the organization's all-time team in 2019.
A 1980 OU graduate, Sims was inducted into the National College Football Hall of Fame in 1995, and is a member of the Oklahoma, Michigan and Texas Sports Halls of Fame, as well as the Orange Bowl Hall of Fame. He is the Sooners' third SEC Football Legend, joining Switzer (2024) and Lucious Selmon (2025).
2026 SEC Football Legends Class
Alabama – Nick Saban, Head Coach, 2007-23
Arkansas – Felix Jones, Running Back, 2005-07
Auburn – Benji Roland, Noseguard, 1985-88
Florida – Chris Doering, Wide Receiver, 1991-95
Georgia – Mark Richt, Head Coach, 2001-15
Kentucky – Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver, 2008-10
LSU – Patrick Peterson, Cornerback, 2008-10
Ole Miss – Tony Bennett, Linebacker, 1986-89
Mississippi State – Darius Slay, Cornerback, 2011-12
Missouri – Sean Weatherspoon, Linebacker, 2006-09
Oklahoma – Billy Sims, Running Back, 1975-79
South Carolina – Sidney Rice, Wide Receiver, 2005-06
Tennessee – John Henderson, Defensive Tackle, 1999-2001
Texas – Ricky Williams, Running Back, 1995-98
Texas A&M – Sam Adams, Defensive Line, 1991-93
Vanderbilt – Casey Hayward, Cornerback, 2008-11
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