SIMS BY THE NUMBERS
Entering his seventh season as the head ball coach of Bethune-Cookman University, Terry Sims has experienced very few things that his predecessors endured before him.
From taking his Wildcat team to a first-ever visit to a Big 10 stadium when BCU faced Nebraska in 2018 to unprecedented success in the Florida Blue Florida Classic – A 31-27 victory marked BCU’s ninth consecutive triumph over Florida A&M and his fifth straight in as many tries, Sims has been a guiding force for a program that has enjoyed success on the field and molds the character of young men off it.
Sims is 36-30 as Head Coach, with winning campaigns in four of his six years.
His 2018 team finished on a three-game winning streak.Post-season honors saw Defensive lineman Marques Ford earned First Team All-Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference honors, joined by offensive lineman Dwayne Brown, defensive back Trevor Merritt and return specialist Jimmie Robinson on the second and offensive center L’Dre Barnes and defensive back Tydarius Peters on the third.
In 2017, the Wildcats completed a "resurge" by winning their last four and six of their final seven games. BCU finished 6-2 in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference, and was just a combined six points away in two road setbacks from an undefeated conference record. The 'Cats defeated rival Florida A&M for the seventh consecutive season, remained undefeated at North Carolina Central with a SportsCenter Top 10 win, and became the first MEAC program to win on the road against a Southland Conference opponent with a Sept. 11 victory at Southeastern Louisiana. The Wildcats put together a perfect 4-0 mark at home with victories over Savannah State, South Carolina State, Hampton, and Morgan State.
BCU saw eight different Wildcats earn postseason All-MEAC honors including three First Team spots with safety Diquan Richardson, offensive lineman Dwayne Brown, and placekicker Uriel Hernandez.
Following the season, wide receiver Jawill Davis signed as an undrafted free agent with the New York Giants, while quarterback Larry Brihm and offensive lineman Phillip Norman signed with Calgary and British Columbia, respectively, of the Canadian Football League.
The Wildcats also performed well in the classroom as tight end Demetrius Weaver was one of two MEAC student-athletes to receive the 2018 Nike Post-Graduate Scholarship
His sophomore season of 2016 saw the Jesup, Georgia native face difficulties that not even he could imagine. Injuries plagued the Wildcats, while weather forced three games to either be delayed significantly, cancelled or moved to another date altogether. Sims saw a total of 16 starters out of the rotation – all through the first five games of the campaign.
Despite all of those setbacks, the Wildcats of Bethune-Cookman were able to bounce back to win four consecutive games down the stretch, including the
Florida Blue Florida Classic contest in Orlando at newly-renovated Camping World Stadium. The win over rival Florida A&M was the sixth of its kind consecutively. BCU concluded the season with a 4-6 overall mark, but collected three of those wins away from Municipal Stadium for a 2-3 overall mark on the year – with one loss coming at FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) opponent North Texas.
Following the campaign, junior safety Diquan Richardson would be named to the All-MEAC First Team on the defensive side of the ball under the guise of Sims, while Kevin Thompson would be selected to the third team on defense. Frank Brown would be named to the second team on offense. And it was running back Jamaruz Thompkins on the third team for offense, rounding out four total Maroon and Gold student-athletes named to the postseason all-conference team.
In the winter of 2017, Sims and his staff signed one of the best classes in school history, including a number of star-ranked performers by various recruiting outlets nationally.
During his rookie season as a head coach in 2015, Sims continued the positive success enjoyed by Bethune-Cookman with the school’s fourth consecutive Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) title. He led the Wildcats to a 9-2 record in his first season and a 7-1 mark, including a share of the MEAC title.
Sims, 45, has been a part of BCU’s unprecedented run of five conference titles in six years, joining the staff in spring of 2010. While 2015 marked his first year as head coach of the Wildcats, it was his sixth season overall with the program.
Terry Sims was introduced as the 15th head coach at Bethune-Cookman University on December 22, 2014. He took over the program after spending the previous five years as an assistant coach for the Wildcats.
Under his guise in 2015, Sims was named MEAC Coach of the Year after matching South Carolina State (1980-83) for the second-longest streak in MEAC history with the run of four MEAC crowns on the spin.
The Wildcats were victorious over in-state rival Florida A&M, 35-14 in Sims’ debut at the helm in the annual
Florida Blue Florida Classic, securing their stake in the conference title. BCU led the MEAC in several statistical categories, including scoring offense (31.4 avg/g), total offense (445.0 avg/g), rushing offense (191.8 yds/g), pass offense (253.2 avg/g), and pass efficiency (164.1 efficiency). The Wildcats also held top 10 positions statistically in the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) in passing yards per completion (6th) and team passing efficiency (3rd). BCU entered the STATS FCS Top 25 poll in the final ranking of the season (25th), slowly climbing the FCS Coaches Poll to reach 21st nationally following the last game of the regular season against FAMU.
Sims had a total of 10 student-athletes named to the All-MEAC first-, second- and third team, respectfully. The list included quarterback Quentin Williams, receiver Jawill Davis, offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek, linebacker Robert Way and defensive back Marquis Drayton – all named first team selections.
The former Knoxville College student-athlete standout is recognized nationally by several collegiate and professional coaches as “a head coach that is just now getting his program”, after being viewed as head coach material for quite some time – though continuing to serve as an assistant – prior to his announcement in winter of 2014. His football knowledge and defensive prowess is unparalleled, and viewed by many as second-to-none. Since his arrival in Daytona Beach back in 2010, the Wildcats defense has consistently ranked in the top 25 statistically in several categories.
“I am grateful for this opportunity afforded to me by Lynn Thompson,” said Sims at the time of his hire during his official press conference. “I am honored to accept this position, and I hope to continue the winning tradition of Wildcats Football.”
In his five years prior to accepting the head coaching position with BCU, Sims served as assistant head coach. He oversaw a variety of the day-to-day duties of the BCU program, as well as working ext5ensively with the safeties, and serving as special teams coordinator. He helped to coach a number of Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) all-league performers, in addition to 2013 All-America safety Nick Addison.
“Throughout the entire process of searching for a head coach, the name Terry Sims kept coming up – not only from coaches, but from the majority of our players,” stated Lynn W. Thompson, BCU Director of Athletics. “I said all along that this was not a cattle call. It was a swift process, and we reviewed five outstanding candidates for the job. However, Terry Sims came out of it with the pedigree we felt would continue what we already have in place here at Bethune-Cookman University – a winning football program. Four MEAC titles in the last five years speaks for itself in that regard.”
In 2014, BCU once again captured no less than a share of the school’s seventh MEAC crown all-time, as well as the fourth title in the last five seasons. Once again, the defensive side of the ball was a huge part of that success, as they finished in the top three of several categories in the league, as well as nationally.
The defensive unit finished atop the FCS for total defense and rush defense. The Cats allowed just 237.5 yards per game to their opposition, while also allowing just 79.9 yards per game on the ground. The team would go on to finish second in the FCS for first downs defense, and seventh nationally in passing yards allowed (157.6 p/g).
During the 2013 campaign, the BCU secondary once again caused havoc amongst opposing offenses around the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference and nation alike. In all, 14 of the team’s 19 interceptions were recorded by the secondary, including a team-high five by safety Nick Addison. The unit finished third in the MEAC for pass defense, allowing just 149.2 yards per game through the air. The Wildcats finished second in the league for interceptions, grabbing 19 and returning three for scores. That number allowed them to finish tied for fifth nationally for passes intercepted, and on the third-fewest passes attempted (326) among the top 20 team for that category.
Addison would finish second in the league for interceptions, while going on to receive First Team Associated Press All-America honors following the year. He also collected First Team All-MEAC accolades, in addition to being selected to the Beyond Sports Network and BoxToRow All-America squads. Marquis Drayton added two interceptions and three pass breakups, along with 47 tackles (23 primary) on the year from his safety position.
Newcomers highlighted the special teams all-around for Sims’ units, including punter/kicker Jonathan Cagle. He would seventh in the league in kick scoring (55 pts) and punting (38.7 yards per punt). He placed eight in field goals with six made in seven attempts.
In the return game, Dre’Sean Nelson returned 17 kickoffs for an average of 15.4 yards per return, and freshman Darian Baker returned 12 for a team-leading 21.9 yards per return. Fellow freshman Michael D. Jones also helped in kickoff returns, adding to the youth at that position, but all increasing awareness and skill throughout the year.
In 2012, the Wildcats stood as the third-best team in the nation for passes intercepted, bringing down 20 on the campaign. They also improved a spot from 12th in passing defense in 2011, up to 11th in 2012. The Cats’ 20 interceptions also ranked as the most for any team sitting in the top 25 for passing defense overall. In passing efficiency defense, the Wildcats were second in the nation, sitting just .37 behind frontrunner North Carolina A&T. For scoring defense, Bethune-Cookman not only finished second in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC), but also 10th in the nation.
In capturing their second MEAC crown in three years, the Wildcats defense helped limit the opposition all season long in 2012. As a unit, the Cats finished second in scoring defense in the league, in addition to third in total defense. Since his arrival, the BCU defense has finished no lower than fourth in the league in those categories.
In takeaways, the BCU defense sat atop the league with +18 in turnover margin. That comes on the heels of the team finishing atop the league in red zone defense. That was up a space from 2011 where they finished the season second in the conference.
During the 2011 campaign, the Wildcats improved nationally to 14th in the NCAA FCS in pass defense, holding opponents to just 174.5 yards passing per game. Safety Jean Fanor collected three picks and 74 tackles in 2011, going on to join the Kansas City Chiefs as a free agent.
Sims aided Bethune-Cookman in reaching fourth in the final NCAA FCS rankings for pass efficiency defense (93.97) in 2010, in addition to ranking 25th nationally in pass defense (174.92 YPG). His defensive backs combined for 13 interceptions, making a big contribution to BCU’s number one ranking in the NCAA for turnover margin (+2.25). On his watch, safety Michael Williams snagged six picks to finish fourth in the FCS on the year for interceptions.
Before arriving in Daytona Beach, Sims spent four seasons in the Nation’s Capital of Washington, D.C., serving as recruiting coordinator, special teams coordinator and defensive backs coach at Howard University. Prior to moving into the MEAC, Sims coached cornerbacks at the University of Louisiana at Lafayette for two seasons, working to improve passing coverage, and aiding the Ragin' Cajuns in attaining top-25 national pass defense rankings.
An experienced coach with ties to Texas and the Mid-Atlantic region, Sims previously served in the secondary at Prairie View A&M. While working with the Panthers, Sims coached the defensive backs, in addition to kick returners. He was also in charge of breaking down film and preparing opponent scouting reports. Additionally, he was active in the planning of recruiting weekends, organizing on-and-off campus recruiting, while serving the role of academic and compliance liaison.
Prior to joining the PVAMU staff in 2004, Sims was the defensive backs coach at Texas Southern University in Houston, also serving as the assistant head coach for three seasons and was recruiting and video coordinator.
During his four-year term with the Tigers, Sims coached some of the top defensive backs in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, including Santino Hall, who finished the 2001 season leading the conference in pass breakups with 20, and Oliver Celestin, who led TSU in interceptions and broke the school record for yards on an interception return. Both players went on to play professionally (Celestine: NY Jets, Hall: Saskatchewan Roughriders).
Before coaching at TSU, Sims worked with the running backs at Austin Peay for three seasons. He produced the 1997 Offensive MVP, Chris Black, and DeAunta McAffee, who tied the school touchdown record.
Sims began his coaching career as a student assistant in 1994, working with the linebackers at his alma mater, Knoxville College. His next stop was at the University of Louisville, where he assisted the defensive backs as a graduate assistant in 1995 and had the opportunity to work with Sam Madison, who set the school record for interceptions (16) and passes defended (44), going on to be a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the Miami Dolphins and tie the NFL interception record (21).
Sims is a 1994 graduate of Knoxville College, where he was a team captain as a defensive back on the gridiron, while also patrolling center field in baseball. He would go on to earn his Master’s Degree from Louisville in 1997. Sims is married to Joyce. The couple has two children: daughter Sierra, and son Xavier.
