In this installment of the Nova Notebook, we salute the life of former Wildcats' standout Sammy Sims, who died Wednesday in Columbus, Ga., after a battle with cancer at the age of 76.
 
As one of the incoming members of the Villanova class of 1970, local product Fran O'Hanlon (St. Thomas More) spied another rookie, who stood 6-5 with a listed weight of 205 at freshman orientation. This classmate was decked out in a beanie with his pant legs rolled up.
 
"What the heck are you dressed like that for?" asked the incredulous O'Hanlon.
 
"It's what they told us to wear," came the reply.
 
"Who on this campus is coming up to you to tell you that you're out of uniform?" O'Hanlon asked.
 
That interaction marked the start of a five decades plus friendship that only ended this week upon Sims' death in Georgia. The two became senior co-captains and cornerstones of a 1969-70 unit that posted a 22-7 record and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Elite Eight – one year prior to Villanova's march to the 1971 NCAA Final.
 
"We became fast friends at Villanova from that moment on," said O'Hanlon, a great Villanova guard who went on to a lengthy head coaching career at Lafayette before his retirement in 2022. "Sammy was just a tremendous guy, so outgoing and friendly. Everybody loved him."
 
"Just an unbelievable teammate and person," added former Wildcat and longtime college coach George Raveling, who as an assistant to head coach Jack Kraft in the mid-1960s led the recruiting effort to bring Sims north from Phenix City, Ala.
 
Though he was one of a prominent group of Wildcats from the southeast that included Florida natives Johnny Jones and Howard Porter, he often toiled in their shadows in the early stages of his time in the Blue and White. But when named a co-captain as a senior in 1969-70, Sims flourished as the starting center on a squad that won two NCAA Tournament games before being eliminated by St. Bonaventure, led by future Hall of Famer Bob Lanier.
 
The son of Tommie, a block maker, and Inell, a housewife, Sammy Sims was one of eight brothers growing up in Phenix City. (Brother Lester Sims was a 1972 draft pick of the NFL's Cleveland Browns). Sammy Sims earned varsity letters in baseball, football, and basketball.
 
"I'm not even sure basketball was his best sport," stated O'Hanlon. "He may have been a better football player."
 
Claude English, who would go on to star at the University of Rhode Island before playing for Portland in the National Basketball Association, was a hoops teammate at South Girard High School. He came to know and admire the Sims family: "Sammy may have been the smallest of them at 6-5. But they were all good human beings."
 
English, who spoke by phone from his home in Georgia where he retired after completing a long career as the director of athletics at Park University in Missouri, is still processing the news of the loss of his lifelong pal.
 
"Sammy was just a special human being, a caring person," said English, who later served as the assistant and head coach at his alma mater URI (serving at one point as an aide to Sims' college mentor, Kraft). "I never heard anyone say a bad word about Sam or him say a bad word about anyone. He was a gentle giant."
 
Sims' talents weren't confined to the court or field. He was an honors student at South Girard and served on the student council. Later, he would earn both an undergraduate and law degree from Villanova.
 
"He was a really bright guy," noted O'Hanlon.
 
When he came north for college, Sims adapted quickly. Throughout their college careers, the buddies were often paired as road roommates.
 
"Invariably, when we'd get to the hotel room," recalled O'Hanlon, "there would be a big bed and a small bed. I would claim the big bed. He would quietly walk over, lift me up, and toss me on to the small bed. (Trainer) Jake (Nevin) called us 'salt and pepper.'"
 
Mickey Weeks – a member of the Villanova Class of 1965 who was an accomplished basketball player though he did not play on the 'Cats varsity – befriended Sims during his days on the Main Line.
 
"I was in grad school at Temple but got back to Villanova for all the games," Weeks said. "We started hanging out and something just clicked. We were buddies."
 
Despite playing alongside one of the country's top scorers in the front court in Porter, Sims averaged 10.7 points and 7.0 rebounds in his final season.
 
"He was a good, solid player," noted O'Hanlon, "and a great teammate."
 
After earning his J.D. in 1974, Sims began working as an attorney based in Camden, N.J. In his off hours, he and Weeks were part of a high-level summer league group that included names like Ollie Johnson (formerly of Temple) and Tom "Trooper" Washington. And there were other fun times.

On one occasion Sims urged Weeks to join him for a trip to California. When Weeks asked why, Sims told him he had begun dating Sylvia Meals, best known for playing Mary Anne Creed, the wife of Apollo Creed (Carl Weathers) beginning in Rocky II, released in 1979.
 
"We went out to those Hollywood parties and had ourselves a good time," Weeks recalled. "Sammy was always a gentleman. People were drawn to his kindness."
 
Sims ultimately left the legal profession, settling in recent years in Georgia. Most recently he taught elementary school. O'Hanlon usually spoke to him by phone several times a month.
 
"He really enjoyed teaching the first graders," said O'Hanlon.
 
In March, O'Hanlon began to grow concerned when there was no answer to multiple calls placed to Sims. Finally, after eight or nine separate calls went unanswered, a weary sounding Sims picked up and, in a brief conversation, related that he was gravely ill. He passed away on April 3.
 
"I love Sammy," said O'Hanlon. "He's as good a guy as you will meet."
 
"We stayed in touch when Sammy moved south," stated Weeks. "Just the nicest guy."
 
"The thing about Sammy," added English, "is that he was always positive and always found the positive in every situation. He's going to be missed."
 
Information on funeral arrangements for Sims can be found at the link at the top of this story.