Kenneth Sims had 17 sacks in eight seasons with the Patriots.Globe File Photo/Boston Globe
Former Patriots defensive end Kenneth Sims, the No. 1 overall pick in the 1982 NFL Draft, died Friday at age 65, the University of Texas announced.
The school said Sims died peacefully at his home.
Sims played eight seasons for the Patriots, recording 17 sacks. He had 5 ½ sacks in the 1985 season when the Patriots reached Super Bowl XX against the Bears but he missed the playoffs because of a broken leg sustained late in the season.
Dogged by injuries and drug problems throughout his career, he played all 16 games in a season only once, in 1984.
He had a career-best 96 tackles and 3 ½ sacks in 1984.
Overall, Sims played in 74 games (64 starts) over eight seasons with the Patriots.
Sims, a native of Groesbeck, Texas, played for Texas from 1978-81 and earned consensus All-American honors as a junior and senior. He had 23 tackles for a loss as a senior, won the Lombardi Award and finished eighth in the Heisman Trophy balloting. He was the third Texas player to be picked No. 1 overall, joining running back Earl Campbell in 1978 and linebacker Tommy Nobis in 1966.
Sims was inducted into the College Hall of Fame in 2021.