Billy Sims apologizes for cheering stunt at Heisman ceremony
Heisman But ‘Boomer’ here to stay
BY JAKE TROTTER
Comments
282
Published: December 16, 2008
NEW YORK — Former Oklahoma running back Billy Sims, winner of the 1978 Heisman Trophy, apologized Monday night if he "crossed a boundary” during Saturday’s Heisman Trophy presentation.

Heisman Trophy winner Billy Sims says he will never quit saying, "Boomer.” AP photo
Multimedia
NewsOK Related Articles
- Shout out: Sims’ antics an embarrassment
12/16/2008 Would someone please muzzle Billy Sims? After Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford was announced as the winner of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, members...
- Sam Bradford deserved some class in return
12/16/2008 You will not find a bigger fan of Billy Sims than Steve Owens. The two became friends 30 years ago when Sims joined Owens as a member of the exclusive...
- Sam Bradford takes the podium
12/16/2008 NEW YORK — Sam Bradford was welcomed to the Heisman fraternity Monday night in a ballroom at the New York Hilton. More than 1,000 people paid $500 a...
- OU FOOTBALL NOTEBOOK: Sam Bradford, Jermaine Gresham...
12/16/2008 Bradford, Gresham earn honors The Touchdown Club of Columbus announced Oklahoma quarterback Sam Bradford and tight end Jermaine Gresham as recipients of the...
But that doesn’t mean he plans to stop saying "Boomer.”
Sims has come under fire since shouting "Boomer” 11 times from the stage of the
Nokia Theater after it was announced OU quarterback
Sam Bradford was this year’s Heisman winner.
"I hear I’ve been getting some bad press, that I say ‘Boomer Sooner’ too much,” Sims said during Monday’s black-tie Heisman award ceremony at the New York Hilton before leading the event’s public benefit auction. "In no way did I mean to upstage Sam’s night. I love Oklahoma so much, and I try to be a spokesman for the university. I will never, ever stop saying ‘Boomer.’
"But I apologize to the Bradford family and the Heisman Trust if I crossed a boundary. Sam’s dad,
Kent, was a teammate of mine and was part of my Heisman season. That’s why I was so happy for Sam.”
Later, Heisman Trust member
Sanford Wurmfeld, who presented the Heisman Trophy to Bradford on Saturday, came to Sims’ defense.
"If someone told Billy that the Heisman Trust was unhappy with him, that is far from the case,” Wurmfeld said.
Leave a Comment
Sports Photo Galleriesview all
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
Thank you for joining our conversations on newsok. We encourage your discussions but ask that you stay within the bounds of our terms and conditions. Please help us by reporting comments that violate these guidelines. To review our rules of engagement, go to Commenting and posting policy.
Log in below or sign up (it's free).
Do ya know how many Aggies it takes to screw in a light bulb????
One, but he gets 3 hours credit!!!
I waited for Billy to shout "Boomer" (like he did when Jason won).
And I shouted "Sooner" back at the TV screen.
Having pride in the greatest university and state does not make one "trailer trash".
Krystal: Pay attention. YES, osu fans DO hope OU will lose. It's all they care about. It's their whole season basically. Not how well the Cowboys will do, but watching OU games and rooting for the other teams just to beat the Sooners! Especially if the cowboys are able to beat them. It's a fact. Your OWN player admitted it on national television on ESPN gameday. He stated that fans approach him and say they don't care about winning any other game, just bedlam. If you guys were really fans of your own team and just cared about them, you wouldn't be reading stories about OU and blogging on message boards related to them.
Also, get your facts straight. OU can and has won bowl games. In the last twenty years, they have played in 13 bowl games. They have won 7 of those. Before you start in on the '7 out of 13 is embarassing and not very good crap', go figure out how many bowl games or championships your own team has even played for, how many Heisman trophies have been won, and how many times your stadium is a sell-out. Then get back to us.
I was LM*O! What an embarrasment!
Krystal, Oklahoma City - Dec 16, 2008 5:39 PM
Krystal, had you been educated at OU, you might realize that odds are not based on past events.
Coach Meade
Just in case you still don't catch the sarcasm...the laughs on you.
University and the great state of Oklahoma. Go OU. Sims go back to Texas.
If my calculations are correct then OJ Simpson would be God. Charles Thompson is the equavilent to Ghandi. And Adam(PacMan)Jones is who my son prays to every night.
Seriously people, what Billy did was wrong. The Heisman Presentation is organized to display class and excellence. By yelling Boomer repeatedly is not classy. I was watching the presentation and really thought that some idiot was in the back of the room yelling it. Little did I know it was one of the OU Greats.
As for his personal life. It is a big deal. For single mothers that have dead beat ex's they would really want their child to be like him. I have no problem with inviting him to the presentation but I can promise you that Jason White would not have made himself look like a fool. I hope everyone learns a lesson from this. Don't speak in public if you couldn't pass freshman English...
"I would be more impressed if you know how to....." "If you only know how laughable....." I believe instead of "know", it should be "knew"...You might want to turn on Grammar/Spell Check yourself before making fun of someone else. Talk about embarrassing.
BOOMER, SOONER
BOOMER, SOONER
If you only know how laughable all of your comments are.
Better scurry on if you don't want to miss tip-off.
I am not at all bitter or whining. I love my OU fan (husband) and very happy for him that his team is going for the big one. Still doesn't mean that I think they will win. Nor do I have to show any love for folks like you that just can't handle the truth. lOUser!
Tanya, we don't have to "hope" OU will lose. They can't pull out a bowl win if they try.
Randy, I am married to a die hard OU fan, but even he will agree that the whole thing was a little embarassing for you folks. Let's try and show a little class, you ARE playing for the National Championship. Let's not embarass yourselves before the big loss.
And.. Grant, I have all kinds of time now buddy, I am home in my luxurious neighborhood, in my beautiful home that waves a "House Divided" banner. Yuu people make me laugh!
A Gooner is a sooner fan from the trailer park of life. A bandwagon fan who only knows two words, boomer and sooner, and has two cartons of cigarettes on top of the fridge and a case of Old Milwaukee in the fridge, but can't afford to pay the electric bill. One who badmouths everything not red, and is seen from time to time on local news reports offering opinions on the crimes in their neighborhood while sporting the faded ou hat, Tee shirt, or hoodie. They are the first to jump ship when ou loses and blames everything from the refs to the phase of the moon as to the cause. Gooners are also known as mouth breathers and bottom feeders. And they love stuffed animal ponies that run around on the sidelines. Poor sooners.
You're an oak. You make me a better Sooner.
*snicker*
Anytime you attend a formal event and start hollering from the stage when it isn't your moment in the spotlight is just plain rude, no matter who you are. It's sad to read personal attacks on those that offer an opinion on the article and event, and shows just how mean spirited some are. On the other hand, it's hilarious to see how stupid some can be with those attacks, as it really gets under their skin to have someone point out the truth. When you can't offer a rebuttal with facts, just start name calling and make personal attacks to avoid the subject. Sims is an embarrassment and if you can't handle the truth of that, too bad, so sad, I'm glad, you're mad. Poor sooners.....
About as stupid as "All Sooners (sorry, I meant "Gooners") are trailer park trash.
I was simply making the point that the "All Sooners are (insert derogatory comment here)" argument is nothing more than the sour grapes rant of orange-bleeding sour pusses.
By the way. Good call on trying to make fun of someone for "not having better to do" when you're here, just the same, reading and posting along with the rest of us.
Posters like you never cease to amaze.....
Scoreboard, honey.
No one is putting him down for yelling "Boomer", just yelling it 11 times!
And Dave, I think the degree was in Recreation. What a joke!
get a life.
I'm sorry but billy Sims has earned the right to cheer till his lungs burst if he wants to !
boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer boomer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
congrats to Sam, his family, his coaches, the entire sooner squad, sooner football family. GO SOONERS!!!!!!!!!! AND BILLY SIMS way to hang brother!!!!!!!!!! SOONER SPIRIT FOREVER!!!!!! BEAT fu !!!!!!! THANKS FOR A GREAT SEASON !!!!!!!! ONE MORE VICTORY TO MAKE IT THE GREATEST EVER!!!!!!!!!
so what if he shouted Boomer a million times?
.
"Gooner," huh?
Good one.
BOOMER
We are a football State. And we defend our football players and we cheer for our football players.. Regaurdless of what team OU OSU we all support the team we cheer for. And we back them up. A State team is a State team!!!!!Now if it was OU and OSU up on that stage waiting to see who won the Heisman then we may have reason for all this!
Yeah,that's the ticket!!!!
Some of you act like this was a Tibetian Monk ceremoney. It's is a sports trophy. Billy is a cool dude. Now that we know DeMarco is out for the game, let's pass cool vibes to Tough Guy Chris and Shifty Moses........................Go Sooners!!!!
Sanders is probably the best running back in NFL history, but I won't forget to mention that as good as he was, he still never beat the Sooners. Get over yourself and your Cowboy bias. Even Cowboy fans would disavow you for moronic statements like that, and most of Oklahoma would beat you to within an inch of your life if you said that in public.
From a Horns Fan in ATX who is still upset Billy Sims(like other TX HS Stars)who got away from us many years ago!
CLICK ON LINK
http://www.ioffer.com/i/88117171
GO SOONERS! WIN THE BCS!!!
We love ya Billy and all of our Heisman Winners.
All you politically correct folks need to loosen up!
Boomer!
Newsflash for you...Foreigners burn our flag and hang us in effigy. It's probably OK for us to yell "Sooners" at the end of the Anthem....
Let's not start again with the "typical" comments. You never get anywhere with them.
Seriously??? How lame are you?
You're a joke. You hate OU because you're full of sour grapes and you bleed orange. Your blanket statements about "many trailer park trash" and OU as "among the most hated programs in college sports" are absolutely the moronic rantings of a bitter fan of one of OU's rivals.
You're kind are a dime a dozen. Why don't you drive through my neighborhood, or that of many of my closest friends. Some graduated from college, and some didn't. Some went to OU and some didn't. But I think, when you see the fine home they've created for themselves, complete with an OU banner, you might change your tune about OU fans. (Hey, one of them actually did live in a trailer for 3 years. She's a lawyer now, with a degree from OU law school. How's your education look Greg?)
Oh, who am I kidding. You'll never change your tune. You'll stay bitter and argumentative... the perfect example of the "OSU is OU's obnoxious little brother" mentality.
Yes, you are right. Some things will never change.
Grow up. Look at the scoreboard from time to time. Accept your place in history vs. OU, and root for your team to change it. Heck, storm the field when you win if you want.
But save the comments. You only perpetuate your own sad stereotype when you drop tired, whiny, bitter comments.
I was walking out with it when he approached me and asked if I wanted the jersey signed. I said, "Fo shizzle, my nizzle"!!
He then went over and got me an autographed pic.
But, Heck, Mike Tyson gets a bad rap too. When we won the last NC in Miami in 2001, My son ran into Tyson in South Beach after the game. Tyson actually called me and said hello. He is friends with Mookie Blalock and Stacy King. I have a big pic of my Son and Tyson doing a soul shake. Don't we have better things to gripe about?
Zero staters just want to whine because it's in their DNA as Oklahoma's stepsister...
Instead we get this pretentious, reverent ceremony which makes me imagine what a secret society Mason initiation might be like. Oh yeah, and lets have all the past winners stand around on the stage picking their noses, pretending they are doing what???
Something tells me that those who dislike him cheering emphatically at the ceremony are the same fans that Bob Stoops had to "call out" just so it would be immensley loud in a stadium that holds over 82,000 peopole. Get over it guys, he was excited. The man loves the University and owes alot to the University for his successes and opportunities.
Believe me, ESPN, Texas and all the other fools just cannot wait for OU to screw this game up. I think OU is gonna put a whippin on em and shut everyone up, for until at least NEXT season.
Merry Christmas 2 U all!
of the university with me as I accepted the award. So I had absolutely no problem whatsoever with Billy yelling Boomer."
Philip, Oklahoma City - Dec 16, 2008 9:24 AM
Well does that mean he’s qulified for public office, or just to be a sports writer? Actually I’m just poking fun,
I would think the sports writer for “the states newspaper” might have a better “sports subject” to write about.
BOOMER SOONER!!!
Sounds like you have a 'little man' complex, I feel sorry for you too.
Gee whiz. The committee chairman said it was no big deal. Steve Owens said the same. Billy and Sam's dad were teammates.
Sweet revenge for all the stupid banners that UT flew over Stillwater and KC.
So why is it exactly that I cant be an OU fan? My son is 2, also has never been to college, can he not be an OU fan? I have a friend that is a plumber, went to votech. Also not allowed to be a fan.
Sounds like you may be a bit of an elitist. Even with my LIMITED education and intelligence, I know that an elitist is someone who views himself as superior to a group of people, such as those who could not afford, did not require, or were otherwise unable to attend college.
I am also an Indianapolis Colts fan. However, I have never lived in Indianapolis or played for the team. I guess it is your feeling that I should not be a fan of that team either?
The ratio of BAD OU fans to BAD OSU fans is probably closer to 3 to 1. I have met plenty of both. If you consider that the total number of fans is probably close to 3 to 1 in OU's favorite then you have a comparable percentage.
shirt blurted out for all to hear, get away from that stinky O.U. person! Shame, they teach them so young.
!
I like that he has enthusiasm, but he could stand to tone it down. I felt like he WAS trying to honor Sam and the team in his own weird way.
This is not about Bedlam. There are good and bad fans for both teams.
This is not about bbq, or the self teachings of "no one can embarass you but you"... (hey, I have had small children, I KNOW that one is not true!)
It's about using good judgement. Billy didn't use good judgement. He could yell Boomer 1000 times if he wanted to, just should have waited until after the ceremony.
Randy, what is your point? It might help if you use capitalization or punctuation. If it's just our feelings are not important, got it.
Billy was just following Bob Stoops "chime up"
Billy no apology is needed nor wanted and if I ever see you you better yell SOONER because I am going to yell BOOMER!
Billy Sims Bar-B-Q
5213 S Sheridan Rd.
(Farm Shopping Center)
Tulsa, OK
7719 E. 91st
Tulsa, OK
3803 S. Peoria
(Corner of 38th St. and Peoria)
Tulsa, OK
2427 W. Kenosha
(Just East of Wal-Mart
at 71st and 145th – Aspen
Broken Arrow, OK
924 West Edmond Rd
(Edmond Rd. and Kelly Ave.)
Edmond, OK
7807 N Highway 81
(Inside Chisholm Trail Casino
Duncan, OK
Inappropriate: Yelling "Boomer" eleven times while Sam is having his big moment.
I love Billy Sims, his enthusiasm, and his love of OU. I just wish he could tone it down a little bit during the ceremony for someone else.
And, please, with the "I had an OU fan talk bad to me in front of kids". It happens both ways (yes, really, it does). There are jerks in red and jerks in orange. Get over it. That has nothing to do with the topic of Billy on Saturday night.
go Sooners.
how typical of an OU fan.
how embarassing.