{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1986)}} {{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}} {{Infobox CFL biography | name = Damian Sims | image = | alt = | caption = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1986|3|26}} | birth_place = Boynton Beach, Florida, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | team = | number = | status = | import = yes | position1 = Running back | height_ft = 5 | height_in = 9 | weight_lb = 200 | college = University of Iowa | undraftedyear = 2007 | playing_years1 = 2009 | playing_team1 = BC Lions* | career_highlights = | CFL = 2397 }} '''Damian Sims''' (born March 26, 1986) is an American former football running back. He was signed by the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League as a street free agent in 2009. He played college football for the Iowa Hawkeyes.
His uncle is fellow BC Lion, Korey Banks.<ref name="Mallett">{{cite news|url=https://www.tsn.ca/cfl/story/?id=281290|title=Lions' RB candidates come highly recommended|date=June 8, 2009|publisher=TSN.ca|accessdate=2009-06-08}}</ref>
==College career== As a freshman in 2004, Sims played in seven games with his debut coming against Ohio State.<ref name="BC">{{cite web|url=http://www.bclions.com/roster/show/id/2397|title=#23 Damian Sims|publisher=BC Lions|accessdate=2009-06-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090616143335/http://bclions.com/roster/show/id/2397|archive-date=2009-06-16|url-status=dead}}</ref> Against Purdue, Sims completed a pass to teammate Drew Tate in the first pass attempt of his career.<ref name="BC" /> Sims had one kickoff return for 37 yards in the Big Ten Championship game against Wisconsin and then a three-yard kickoff return against LSU in the Capital One Bowl.<ref name="BC" /> He recorded 17 rushing attempts for 45 yards and added two pass receptions for a yard in the season.<ref name="BC" />
Sims saw action in 12 of Iowa's 13 games in 2005, and started off playing cornerback before switching back to running back.<ref name="BC" /> He played cornerback against Ball State recording three tackles, and then switched back to running back against Northern Iowa.<ref name="BC" /> In his return he totaled 40 yards on two rushing attempts.<ref name="BC" /> Against Illinois he had six rushing attempts for 81 yards.<ref name="BC" /> 66 of his 81 yards came on a touchdown run late in the game.<ref name="BC" /> He rushed for a career best 104 yards in the Minnesota game, including a 71-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.<ref name="BC" /> In the Outback Bowl against Florida he recorded six yards on four rushes and had 12 yards on one pass catch.<ref name="BC" /> Sims added 107 kickoff return yards on five attempts including a team season-high 47-yard return in the Florida game.<ref name="BC" />
Sims started 2006, with seven rushes for 39 yards against Montana and then 10 rushes for 51 yards along with an 11-yard reception against Syracuse.<ref name="Iowa">{{cite web|url=http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/sims_damian00.html|title=#28 Damian Sims|publisher=Iowa Hawkeyes|accessdate=2009-06-08|archive-date=April 8, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090408073801/http://www.hawkeyesports.com/sports/m-footbl/mtt/sims_damian00.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> He rushed 15 times for 55 yards against Illinois and scored his first touchdown of the season in the game.<ref name="Iowa" /> Sims' first career college start came against Purdue where he had 20 rushes for 155 yards and two touchdowns.<ref name="Iowa" /> His second start of the season came against Indiana where he ran 22 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns.<ref name="Iowa" /> In the Alamo Bowl against Texas he ran for 26 yards on 12 rushes.<ref name="Iowa" />
Following spring practice in 2007, Sims' senior season he was listed as the second running back on the depth chart.<ref name="Iowa" /> His third career 100 rushing yards in a game came against Northern Illinois when he ran for 110 yards on 16 carries.<ref name="Iowa" /> He led the rushing attack against Syracuse with 12 rushes for 62 yards and a touchdown.<ref name="Iowa" /> In the Michigan State game, Sims ran for a season best 30-yard run and totaled 35 yards on three carries for the game.<ref name="Iowa" />
==Professional career== After his career at Iowa, Sims entered the 2007 NFL draft. At the NFL Combine, Sims ran a 4.47 forty yard dash.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://warroom.sportingnews.com/nfl/draft/2008/players/7900.html|title=War Room analysis: Damian Sims|publisher=Sporting News|accessdate=2009-06-08}}{{Dead link|date=January 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> However, he went undrafted and returned to Iowa to finish his degree and care for his daughter.<ref name="Banks">{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/sports/Lions+Shivers+stacks+camp+with+backs/1668031/story.html|title=Iowa's Sims could be a keeper|last=Beamish|first=Mike|date=June 5, 2009|publisher=Vancouver Sun|accessdate=2009-06-08|archive-date=2019-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219020356/https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/story-of-a-shattered-life-a-single-childhood-incident-pushed-dawn-crey-into-a-downward-spiral|url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2009, Sims' uncle BC Lions defensive back Korey Banks told Lions player personnel director Roy Shivers about his nephew and gave him a tape of Sims.<ref name="Banks" /> Impressed, Shivers invited Sims to tryout and Sims ran a 4.4 forty yard dash, which was seven hundredths of a second faster than he ran nearly two years earlier.<ref name="Banks" /> Sims was officially signed by the Lions in late April 2009.<ref name="BC" /> Sims was reportedly one of the leading contenders to replace Stefan Logan at running back with his main competition being Martell Mallett.<ref name="Mallett" /><ref>{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/Sports/Kidd+Banks+recommend+rookie+running+backs/1640003/story.html|title=Kidd, Banks recommend rookie running backs|last=Beamish|first=Mike|date=May 28, 2009|publisher=Vancouver Sun|accessdate=2009-06-08}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> He was released at the end of training camp on June 24, 2009.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://vancouversun.com/sports/Lions+players+including+veterans+Rayford+Mitchell/1728947/story.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090626024142/http://www.vancouversun.com/sports/Lions+players+including+veterans+Rayford+Mitchell/1728947/story.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=2009-06-26|title=B.C. Lions cut 11 players, including veterans Rayford and Mitchell|last=Beamish|first=Mike|date=2009-06-24|publisher=Vancouver Sun|accessdate=2009-06-25}}</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sims, Damian}} Category:1986 births Category:Living people Category:Players of Canadian football from Florida Category:American football running backs Category:Canadian football running backs Category:Iowa Hawkeyes football players Category:BC Lions players Category:Players of American football from Boynton Beach, Florida