Billy Sims looks back at his career in FSN special

As part of the buildup for OU-Texas week, FSN Southwest is airing “In My Own Words” specials with former OU star Billy Sims and former Texas star Earl Campbell. The Sims’ special will air again at 10 p.m. Wednesday, and you can catch the Campbell special at 10 p.m. Tuesday. The network also is airing 15-minute updates on the “Red River Rivalry” nightly at 10:30 and a one-hour preview show at 8 p.m. Wednesday (replayed at 9 p.m. Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday).

Sims’ interview with Dana Larson provided an interesting looked back at his standout football career, which included winning the Heisman Trophy as a junior. Sims, who grew up in Hooks, Texas, said he was all set to play at Baylor until Barry Switzer got involved late and won him over. He said Switzer’s phone called at halftime of an OU game in Colorado sealed the deal. “He told me, ‘We’ve got to finish this butt-kicking; you need to be here.’ As a kid, my head was blown.”

Sims said he was sitting in a math class at OU when a student rushed in to tell him he had won the Heisman. Although he was supposed to go to the SID’s office, he didn’t budge from the class. “We had one of the professors who didn’t like athletes. He didn’t care if I had won the Nobel Prize, I wasn’t leaving that class.”

His favorite memory of the OU-Texas series involved Campbell: “When I saw Earl in 1977 run over two of All-American linebackers who couldn’t stop him from scoring, I was impressed even though I was with OU and he was with Texas and we were friends from our high school days. That’s what OU-Texas is all about.”

Sims beamed when talking about the statue of him OU recently unveiled. “It’s better to me than winning the Heisman Trophy. It’s on display so the whole state of Oklahoma can see it anytime. Just to think some 30 years ago a little ol’ black kid from East Texas would go to Oklahoma and and have a statue put up in his honor. I told coach Switzer, ‘You couldn’t predict that.’”

In the Campbell special, he described the OU-Texas series. “The Oklahoma game is like the Super Bowl. It’s serious business. There’s no smiling, there’s no joking. When you come of that dressing room, there is nothing like it, seeing that much orange and that much red.”

OU-Texas broadcast notes: Brad Nessler, Bob Griese, Paul Maguire and Bonnie Bernstein will call the game for ABC. It’s only a regional telecast this year. ABC also will show Iowa at Penn State and N.C. State at Florida State at 2:30 p.m. … The Sports Animal will simulcast pregame shows on Dallas’ KVCE-AM 1160, including Jim Traber and Al Eschbach from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday and “Countdown to Kickoff” from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Saturday. … KKNG-FM 93.3 personality James Ayers is getting in on the caravan action, broadcasting from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the Arby’s at 2514 Grant Ave West in  Pauls Valley. Jason White will sign autographs from noon to 1 p.m. … KOCO will have a postgame show from 6 to 7 p.m.

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