Oklahoma Sooners Heisman Trophy winning running back Billy Sims wore this crimson Sooners helmet in 1979, his final season of college football. Sims, the 1978 Heisman Trophy winner, followed up his historic campaign with another dominant year, picking up 1,670 yards for Barry Switzer’s Sooners. The Sooners finished the season 11-1 and ranked number three in the AP Poll largely thanks to Sims’ 22 rushing touchdowns. In Sims final game with the Sooners, the 1979 Orange Bowl against the undefeated Florida State Seminoles, he rushed for 164 yards in Oklahoma’s comfortable 24-7 win. The former Hooks High School star finished second in the 1979 Heisman Trophy voting behind USC quarterback Charles White. Sims was selected by the Detroit Lions with the first overall pick of the 1980 NFL Draft, where he experienced immediate success by making the Pro Bowl in 1980, 1981, and 1982, as well as earning a spot on the 1981 First Team All-Pro squad. Sims left Oklahoma as one of the great players in program history, with two All-America nods and two Big 8 Player of the Year awards to his name.

This Kelley helmet is crimson, with a white “OU” logo applied to each side of the helmet. The facemask is white, and the chinstrap is still attached to the helmet. A Kelley size “7 ½” sticker, a black “BK” sticker, and Sims’ number “20” are applied to the back of the helmet. Sims’ number “20” is handwritten in black marker inside the helmet. The interior padding is intact. Sims has signed the helmet in black marker. He inscribed “’79’” and “#20” in addition to his signature. This helmet comes with a LOA from JSA (Z67420) for the signature and a detailed LOA signed by Billy Sims for the game use.

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