OL Sims Was Another Unlikely Raiders Standout

With the 2023 preseason over for the Las Vegas Raiders, Dave Ziegler and Josh McDaniels are looking for unlikely stars like a former Silver and Black star, Barry Sims.

The story of offensive lineman Barry Sims is another one of the most unlikely in the 63-year history of the Las Vegas-Oakland-Las Vegas Raiders.

The 6-foot-5, 300-pound Sims played two seasons at Dixie Junior College in Utah before moving on to the University of Utah, where he played well enough to earn an invitation to play in the 1998 Hula Bowl in Honolulu.

Sims caught the eye of NFL scouts during Hula Bowl practices. Still, unfortunately, he sustained a knee injury during one of those workouts, and it was thought that his football career might be over after he underwent surgery back in Salt Lake City.

While rehabbing the injury, Sims returned to Utah to complete his degree in sociology but continued to think about playing football in the pros.

“For some reason, I thought the injury was a blessing in disguise, because I came back bigger and stronger than ever,” Sims said several years later. “I knew I was better than ever and had a chance to play pro ball.”

After working out for several NFL teams for two years, Sims was drafted in the 17th round of the NFL Europe Draft by the Scottish Claymores, where he started as a tackle in 1999.

Sims was so impressive that he caught the eye of a Raiders scout, and they signed him as a free agent ahead of training camp that year,. all he did was spend his next nine seasons wearing the Silver and Black.

“When I was in Oakland, I had a player by the name of Barry Sims,” former Raiders Coach Bill Callahan recalled. “During that time, Barry had come to us as an undrafted free agent, he had an injury sustained in an All-Star game and was not drafted that spring. He ended up in the World League. He kind of bounced around a little bit. Then we had him in camp.

“We had two first-round selections in Matt Stinchcomb and Mo Collins on the offensive line. Collins, we ended up moving Sims to guard, and then Stinchcomb, who was really a fine player out of Georgia, got hurt during that period of time in training camp. Really, our backs were against the wall. I started moving players around.

“We put Sims on the left side, and he was a fixture there for several years.”

Sims was in the lineup for several games early in the season before Week 6 against the Buffalo Bills, when he started, and all he had to do was take on defensive end Bruce Smith, a future member of the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

Sims did more than hold his own as the Raiders rushed for 195 yards and touchdown runs of three and 11 yards by Tyrone Wheatley in a 20-14 victory over the Bills at Ralph Wilson Stadium in Orchard Park, N.Y.

Sims was in the starting lineup from then on for the Raiders and was a valuable member of teams that led the National Football League in rushing during the 2000 season, in total offense in 2002, and reached Super Bowl XXXVII at Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego to cap the 2002 season before losing, 48-21 defeat.

While Sims never received Pro Bowl or All-Pro recognition during his career with the Raiders, he started 119 games for the Silver and Black. He was valuable to his offense for more than his blocking by recovering ten fumbles in his nine seasons, including four in 2007.

Sims played in 174 games for the Raiders, and in 2004, he was co-recipient of the 2004 Commitment to Excellence Award for the Raiders.

2008, after being released by the Raiders, he signed with the San Francisco 49ers across the Bay and played three more seasons in the NFL.

However, one more time, once a Raider, always a Raider.

The Silver and Black open the regular season at the Denver Broncos on Sunday, September 10, at 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT.

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