E. A. Sims, Jr. (also called Ed, and Zeke; November 4, 1937 – August 5, 2010) was a

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) tight end. He played for the

Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Elks are a professional Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. The club competes in the Canadian Football League (CFL) as a member of the league's West Division and plays their home games at the Brick Field at Commo ...

, and the

B.C. Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

. He was presented with a ring of honor for his achievements at

New Mexico State University New Mexico State University (NMSU or NM State) is a public land-grant research university based primarily in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest public institution of higher education in New Mexico and one of the state's tw ...

Early life

Sims was born in

Abilene, Texas Abilene ( ) is a city in Taylor and Jones Counties in Texas, United States. Its population was 125,182 at the 2020 census, making it the 27th-most populous city in the state of Texas. It is the principal city of the Abilene metropolitan statis ...

, and was very active in sports in junior high and high school. He attended Cisco Junior College in Cisco, Texas, where he played on their football team, The Wranglers. He was made all star three years in a row and also received an outstanding player award. He later played football for the

Aggies in Las Cruces, New Mexico, where in December 1960 he helped defeat Utah State to win the

Sun Bowl The Sun Bowl is a college football bowl game that has been played since 1935 in the southwestern United States at El Paso, Texas. Along with the Sugar Bowl and Orange Bowl, it is the second-oldest bowl game in the country, behind the Rose Bowl. ...

. During his college career playing for the Aggies, he received another outstanding player award.

Professional career

In March 1961 Sims was selected by the

Baltimore Colts The Baltimore Colts were a professional American football team that played in Baltimore from its founding in 1953 to 1984. The team now plays in Indianapolis, as the Indianapolis Colts. The team was named for Baltimore's history of horse breed ...

during the 15th round of the NFL draft. In July 1961 he was traded to the

Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. Founded in , the Steel ...

for a future draft choice. After sustaining a knee injury, Sims refused to report and in March 1962 he was signed by the

, where he was to play for 7 seasons. In

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

and in

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

Sims was selected as a CFL All-Star. In 1968, Sims was cut from the Eskimos following the signing of Ed Marcontell, but was subsequently signed

B.C Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team based in Vancouver, British Columbia. The Lions compete in the West Division (CFL), West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), and play their home games at BC Place. The Lions playe ...

, where he played until 1970 when he retired from the league.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, E. A. 1937 births 2010 deaths Sportspeople from Abilene, Texas Players of American football from Texas New Mexico State Aggies football players Players of Canadian football from Texas Canadian football defensive linemen Edmonton Elks players BC Lions players