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Unexpected turn leads Sims to Oshkosh LUCAS AT LARGE MIKE LUCAS • UWBADGERS.COM that he was going to be the sub- ject of a "Where are they now?'' piece, there was a hesitation at first; especially after he was asked how he might trace and detail his journey from his early days in Madison. "That's a good question to W ask,'' said the 51-year-old Sims, pondering the distance trav- eled and the potholes on the road along the way. "It's been very interesting. Obviously, a lot of things have taken place and getting into administration was something I really didn't think about when I was playing.'' Sims was more than just an- other college football player, he was a playmaker for the Badgers, a physically imposing 6-foot- 3, 280-pound defensive tackle who had six stops behind the line of scrimmage — totaling a minus-43 yards, a school record — in a 1982 game against North- western. Despite earning first-team All- Big Ten recognition three times at Wisconsin — he would have likely gone four-for-four had he not been declared academically ineligible during the 1983 sea- son — Sims was largely over- shadowed by others, particularly All-America nose guard Tim Krumrie. Whereas Krumrie was not se- lected until the 10th round of the 6 » VARSITY JULY 26, 2012 hen UW-Oshkosh athletic director Dar- ryl Sims was informed 1983 draft — he was the 276th player taken overall — Sims went 20th in the 1985 draft to the Pittsburgh Steelers; joining UW teammates Al Toon (No. 10 to the Jets) and Richard John- son (No. 11 to the Oilers) in the first round. Krumrie went on to Pro Bowl status with the Bengals, but Sims never lived up to the high expectations — his or the Steel- ers — after a contract dispute. "It's been very inter- esting. Obviously, a lot of things have taken place and getting into administration was something I re- ally didn't think about when I was playing.'' He spent two unproductive seasons in Pittsburgh followed by two more in Cleveland. In a blink, he was out of the league. "If I had a chance to do some things differently,'' Sims said, "I would have spent a great deal more time interacting and work- ing with the organization prior to coming to Pittsburgh. The way you set the foundation for a great relationship is the conver- sation that you have before you show up. "There needed to be a clear understanding and expectation in place, so everybody under- stood roles. That did not happen and I take a great deal of respon- sibility for it. I should have met with coach (Chuck) Noll and his staff. We were in a contract struggle and once squared away never recovered.'' But he can still put those pain- ful lessons to good use today in a far different role. "The thing that I bring to the office every day,'' Sims said, "is don't take any day for granted. Whatever we face as a program, as long as we're do- ing it together, we can overcome (any adversity). "When people are working together and everybody under- stands what the goals and objec- tives are, you're usually fairly successful.'' After his pro career abruptly ended, Sims bounced around looking for something that would hold his interest, maybe even fulfill his passion. He got involved with the trucking in- dustry, then safety equipment. Neither was what he was search- ing for. "There was a period when I left Cleveland and things weren't going well,'' he said. "I moved back to Madison and I couldn't figure out what my next move was going to be. I kind of disas- sociated myself from a lot of folks.'' That was not the best course of action and his friends let him