Kenneth Sims, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 draft, died Friday at the age of 65, Chip Brown of 247Sports reports. Sims died in his sleep after battling an illness, per Brown.
Sims played at the University of Texas, where he began his college career backing up Pro Football Hall of Famer Steve McMichael and Bill Acker. Sims made his presence known in his junior season, posting 131 tackles and earning All-Southwest Conference and consensus All-America honors.
As a senior in 1981, Sims became the school’s first Lombardi Award winner and was the top defensive vote-recipient for the Heisman Trophy. He again earned All-Southwest Conference and consensus All-America honors.
The Patriots used the first pick on him in 1982 in a draft that also featured Jim McMahon, Mike Munchak, Marcus Allen and Morten Andersen.
Sims was fifth in voting for NFL defensive rookie of the year.
He spent his entire career with the Patriots, playing 74 career games with 64 starts in eight seasons and recording 17 sacks.
In 1985, Sims had 5.5 sacks in 13 games before breaking his leg. That kept him out of Super Bowl XX, which the Bears won by beating the Patriots.
