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Sims Named to SWATA Hall of Fame

Article reposted from BaylorBears.com
Author: BaylorBears.com

Four years after receiving the organization’s Most Distinguished Award, longtime Baylor trainer Mike Sims has been named to the Southwest Athletic Trainers’ Association Hall of Fame.

The Hall of Fame was developed for the purpose of honoring members of District VI whose dedicated service, past achievements and professional contributions have furthered the advancement of the SWATA and the athletic training profession. Along with the University of Houston’s Mike O’Shea and former Spring ISD trainer Mike Pace, Sims will be honored this weekend at the SWATA Annual Meeting in San Marcos, Texas.

Sims arrived at Baylor in 1975 as a freshman student trainer, becoming the school’s first full-time assistant trainer six years later. He retired last month after 36 years of service, including the last two as Associate Athletics Director for Athletic Training.

“He has provided steady guidance of our Athletics Training area throughout his career, and he has positively impacted thousands of student-athletes along the way,” said Baylor Vice President and Director of Athletics Mack Rhoades.

Considered one of the nation’s leading authorities on sports equipment safety standards, Sims was previously honored with the 2006 Dave Campbell Award from the Greater Waco Chamber of Commerce; the 2007 NATA Service Award; and the Admiral U.S. Grant Sharp Trophy at the 2012 Holiday Bowl for his unselfish commitment, motivation and teamwork.

As a member of the board of directors of the National Operating Committee on Standards for Athletic Equipment, he helped determine safety standards for equipment such as football and baseball helmets and catcher’s masks. Sims served 16 years on the NATA Ethics Committee, including seven as the committee chair.

The Cedar Hill, Texas, native spent five years as a Baylor student trainer under Skip Cox, graduating with a bachelor of science degree in 1980 and a master’s two years later.

Sims said working under Baylor Athletics Hall of Famers Cox and football coach Grant Teaff “helped set my foundation and got me going, just seeing how they were so good about handling situations.”

“That’s how I learned the whole business,” he said. “The way our profession is, it’s more like a family. You do things the way you’re taught them to do them. And with Skip, good work habits and taking care of the players, those were the things he pushed.”

Licensed by the State of Texas and NATA-certified, Sims became Baylor’s head trainer in October 1984 and was promoted to director of sports medicine in 1993. He served as president of the SWATA in 1991-91.

“He just had a way of making you feel like he cared about you as much more than just an athlete. He cared about you as a person,” said Walter Abercrombie, former Baylor running back (1978-81) and current Associate AD for the “B” Association. “Sometimes, athletes are a little superstitious when it comes to who they want to work with. But, Mike had a particular ability to make athletes feel that they were in excellent hands with him, from taping your ankle to taking care of you when you were sick and had to stay home.”

Sims, who now serves as head of the athletic training staff at Southwest Sports Medicine & Orthopaedics, is married to the former Suzanne Stevens, also a Baylor graduate. The couple has two children, Jessica and Keith, both Baylor graduates. Mike serves as a deacon at First Baptist Church of Woodway.

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Sims Closes 42-Year Baylor Career

Article reposted from Baylor Bears
Author: Jerry Hill

From Gerald Ford to Donald Trump and from Grant Teaff to Matt RhuleMike Sims has been at Baylor as first a student trainer, then the first full-time assistant trainer and ultimately the Associate AD for Athletics Training for the last 42 years.

While Sims said he will “always be a Baylor fan,” another chapter in his life comes to an end when Sims leaves on June 23 to take a position with Southwest Sports Medicine.

“This is who I’ve grown up with, who my family have grown up with, kids and everything else,” said Sims, who turns 60 in August. “It’s always been a part of my life. I’ve talked to people who have done this before, and they say losing the day-to-day relationships with the players is what I’m going to miss the most. My whole life has been around 18-, 19-, 20-, 21-year-old kids, and I’m sure I’ll miss some of that, but I’ll always be a Baylor fan. This school and university have meant too much to me all through my life and my kids’ lives.”

Mack Rhoades, Vice President and Director of Baylor Athletics, said Sims’ “dedication to Baylor began as a student trainer and has been a constant throughout his more than 40 years of service to Baylor Athletics.”

“He has provided steady guidance of our Athletics Training area throughout his career, and he has positively impacted thousands of student-athletes along the way,” Rhoades said. “We are grateful to Mike for his decades of service to his alma mater and wish him success in his next chapter.”

A native of Cedar Hill, Texas, Sims actually started in the business as a student trainer at Cedar Hill High School, graduating in 1975. He then spent five years as a Baylor student trainer under Skip Cox, graduating with a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 and a master’s degree two years later.

Sims said that working under Cox and Teaff, both in the Baylor Athletics Hall of Fame, “helped set my foundation and got me going, just seeing how they were so good about handing situations.”

“That’s how I learned the whole business,” he said of training under Cox. “The way our profession is, it’s more like a family. You do things the way you’re taught them to do them. And with Skip, good work habits and taking care of the players, those were the things he pushed.”

Walter Abercrombie, a former Baylor football player (1978-81) and now Associate AD for the “B” Association, said Sims was “in the same mold as Skip.”

“He just had a way of making you feel like he cared about you as much more than just an athlete. He cared about you as a person,” Abercrombie said. “Sometimes, athletes are a little superstitious when it comes to who they want to work with. But, Mike had a particular ability to make athletes feel that they were in excellent hands with him, to taping your ankle to taking care of you when you were sick and had to stay home.”

With that kind of personal touch, Sims hurt when his players hurt and rejoiced when they got back on the field after rehabilitation.

“One of the tough things in dealing with players is they’re our friends and we see our friends get injured,” he said. “One of the best things about what we do is they’re our friends and we see them come back and return to play. When somebody has been injured and they’re coming back to play, you’re as nervous as you can be, because they’re back out on the field for the first time. But, you’re also glad to see them back and glad to see them succeed.”

While the win-loss record doesn’t go under his name, Sims said, “If you get to where you don’t worry about whether you win or lose, then you don’t need to be in athletics.”

“It’s interesting, because you’re sitting on the sidelines as a fan, and somebody gets hurt. And you have to quickly change over from being a fan and make sound medical judgment,” he said. “That’s just something you have to learn how to do. Winning is important, but it’s not the most important. The health of the student-athletes is the most important.”

Former Baylor quarterback Nick Florence (2009-12), who now serves as Baylor’s Director of Athletics Development, said Sims had a unique way of interacting “with a generation significantly younger while also providing professional care.”

“It goes to show that he loves what he does and was good at it, that he was in it for that long of a time,” Florence said. “Mike was just as steady as they go, doing everything to the best of his ability. My favorite phrase from him is, ‘Just put ice on it.’ That was always the first thing out of his mouth, ‘Just put ice on it,’ whether he was joking or serious, depending on the situation.”

Like Cox before him, part of Sims’ job was also mentoring all the student trainers that came through Baylor in his 37 years on staff. Three of the current staff learned under his tutelage – David Chandler, Alex Olson and Kevin Robinson.

“You couldn’t ask for a better boss,” said Chandler, who works with men’s basketball. “He’s always there to support you and help you and do whatever you need. At the same time, he let you do your job. He didn’t stand over you, telling you how to do your job, he just let you do it.

“None of us can work as hard as Mike Sims or as long as Mike Sims. It’s a tribute to him and really a tribute to his family to have been able to put up with that, because he worked crazy hours, and I think that’s probably part of the reason why he’s leaving. This is a sad day for me, but I’m happy for him.”

Another side of Sims was his unofficial role as “Mr. Fix-it.” With a set of tools always at hand, “If anything needed to get done in the athletics department, Mike was the person people would go to,” Chandler said. “Mike was the jack-of-all-trades. As we’ve evolved into such a larger staff, it’s not needed as much now. But, he was the guy that could get things done.”

That included doing electrical work or fixing the radios or in-house speakers at the “B” Association, Abercrombie said.

“Mike would come over, bring his old tool kit, fix the problem and would never take a payment. He was just that kind of guy.”

In the 42 years since he first came to Baylor as a student trainer in the fall of 1975, Sims has seen an evolution in his business and the athletes themselves.

“Technologically, we do a lot more stuff than we used to,” he said. “Medically, we take care of a lot more things than we used to. The athletes have gotten a whole lot bigger than they were. When I came as a student in 1975, you would see guys who were 275, 280, and they were the biggest things anyone had ever seen on campus. Well, that’s not big enough now.

“So, the size alone has made a huge difference, and the athletes work out year-around. They stay in good physical shape. They’re stronger than they’ve ever been, bigger than they’ve ever been and faster than they’ve ever been.”

Through eight different head football coaches, Sims has been to 476 consecutive games – from an 18-17 win over South Carolina on Oct. 2, 1976, to the 31-12 victory over Boise State in the Motel 6 Cactus Bowl on Dec. 27, 2016.

That streak may end this fall, but something tells me Sims will continue to see his share of Baylor athletic events.

“I think he approached his job as a ministry, doing for other people,” Abercrombie said. “He was more than just an athletics trainer. He was a friend, he was a confidante, and I feel sorry for the young people going forward who will not have the opportunity to experience Mike Sims and be under his care during their athletics career.”

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New NCAA legislation to overhaul Power Five return-to-play protocol

The Power Five conferences passed new legislation one medical officer is calling the most important piece of safety legistlation in NCAA history on Jan. 15 during the NCAA Convention in San Antonio.

The new law guarantees medical personnel job security in return-to-play situations.

In other words, team medical staff cannot be threatened or fired if they prohibit a player from returning to the game, despite a coach’s desire for the player to return.

Although the law is being touted as a game-changer for the NCAA, Baylor athletics has had protection for its team medical staff since the 1990s, said Baylor head athletic trainer Mike Sims, calling the Bears pioneers when it comes to return-to-play policy.

Since the 1990s, Baylor has protected its athletic medical staff from an unwanted clash between coaches and medical staff in the case of player injuries.

Sims said Baylor athletics hires medical staff through the athletic department’s adminstration, leaving the coaching staff with no control over any medical staff member’s status.

“OUR ATHLETIC TRAINING DEPARTMENT HAS ALL BEEN HIRED THROUGH THE ADMINISTRATION FOR ABOUT 20 YEARS. WE STARTED DOING IT THAT WAY IN ABOUT THE MID-1990S, JUST SLIGHTLY AHEAD OF OUR TIME. I THINK FOR THIS DILEMMA IT MAKES A BIG DIFFERENCE.” – BAYLOR HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER MIKE SIMS

Oftentimes, there is uncertainty on whether a player is in a good enough condition to return to the game, specifically in the case of concussions.

“THE ISSUE OF CONCUSSIONS REMAINS A TOP CONCERN FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED WITH ATHLETICS AT ALL LEVELS, AND THIS NEW LEGISLATION IS ANOTHER IMPORTANT STEP IN THE PROCESS THAT HAS MADE COLLEGE ATHLETICS SAFER THAN EVER.” – NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION (NFF) PRESIDENT AND CEO STEVE HATCHELL

In the situation that a player gets hurt, the Baylor coaching staff has no power to threaten medical staff or decide whether the player can return to the game.

The new law aims to remove the confusion and pressure put on coaches and trainers in this situation.

“THE STAFF DOESN’T HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE EMOTIONAL PROCESS ANYMORE. COACHES GET PASSIONATE AND EMOTIONAL DURING A GAME AND THEY GO TO THEIR MEDICAL STAFF AND ASK, ‘CAN MY PLAYER PLAY?’ AND THE MEDICAL STAFF SAY, ‘NO,’ AND THE COACH SAYS, ‘BUT I NEED HIM TO PLAY. LET HIM PLAY.’” – BAYLOR HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER MIKE SIMS

Current protocol leaves health and safety decision power exclusively with team medical professionals.

Team physicians and athletic trainers in the Power Five conferences (ACC, Big Ten, Big 12, Pac-12 and SEC) now have “unchallengeable autonomous authority” in return-to-play situations.

Before this legislation, it was up to the universities themselves to implement policy regarding return-to-play situations.

“IT’S JUST THESE THINGS WERE PUT IN PLACE A LONG TIME AGO; DIFFERENT COACHES RUNNING THEIR PROGRAMS AND DIFFERENT WAYS OF DOING THINGS.”– BAYLOR HEAD ATHLETIC TRAINER MIKE SIMS

Some universities, like Baylor, had already established their own policies long before the NCAA passed the law on Jan. 15.

“MANY PEOPLE OVERLOOK THE ROLE OF OUR NATION’S ATHLETIC TRAINERS WHO ARE OUT THERE EVERY DAY FOR THE GOOD OF THE KIDS. THIS IS AN ENORMOUSLY IMPORTANT STEP IN EMPOWERING THE ATHLETIC TRAINERS AND TEAM PHYSICIANS AS THE FIRST LINE IN PROTECTING OUR STUDENT-ATHLETES.” – NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION (NFF) PRESIDENT AND CEO STEVE HATCHELL

Big 12 Commissioner Bob Bowlsby, a board member of the NFF, had a heavy hand in the effort ultimately resulting in the adoption of the new legislation.

Legislation regarding return-to-play situations had already been passed at the 2015 NCAA Convention, but Bowlsby and Oklahoma senior center Ty Darlington were unsatisfied with it.

Bowlsby and Darlington said the 2015 protocol still gave the coaches too much power in affecting return-to-play decisions.

Taking on the issue peronsally, Bowlsby intensified the protocol in his own conference, the Big 12.

The Big 12 bolstered its own return-to-play protocol last year and is the same protocol being used across all Power Five conferences.

“WE APPLAUD THE POWER FIVE CONFERENCES FOR THEIR LEADERSHIP ON FORMALIZING THE RULES FOR PROTECTING THE SAFETY OF OUR NATION’S STUDENT-ATHLETES.” – NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION (NFF) PRESIDENT AND CEO STEVE HATCHELL

For Baylor and other Big 12 schools, there won’t be much change. Baylor and the Big 12 were ahead of the game.

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