His name was Mathew Sims.
He was the kicker NIU football placed its collective trust upon to pull the Huskies through on the gridiron.
It’s Dec. 2, 2011, at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan. The 9-3 NIU Huskies and the 9-3 Ohio University Bobcats are battling for their first win in the MAC title game.
After trailing 20-0 at halftime, the Huskies scored 20 unanswered to climb even with Ohio with 1:44 remaining.
A five-play, 48-yard offensive drive put NIU at Ohio’s 16-yard line with five seconds left, leaving enough time for the then-sophomore Sims to try the game-winning kick.
A STORY ENDED TOO SOON
Nearly 12 years later, the NIU football community and beyond mourns the untimely passing of a man who made his mark on and off the football field.
Sims was tragically killed in a motor vehicle accident on Oct. 20 in his hometown of Hannibal, Missouri. He was 31 years old.
Born to Bob Sims and Lynne Sims on Nov. 8, 1991, in Hannibal, Mathew Sims spent much of his life in the Mississippi River-bound city. He was a 2010 graduate of Hannibal High School where he was an All-State honoree for the Pirates’ football and track teams.
Sims played sparingly during his freshman season at NIU. He appeared in five games and converted two of his three field goal attempts along with 4-of-6 point-after tries.
The following season – Sims’ first as the Huskies’ full-time kicker – was one for the ages.
SEASONS TO REMEMBER
The sophomore led NIU in scoring with 124 points and knocked in 20-of-28 field goals and 64-of-66 PATs. His kicking efforts culminated in an All-MAC First Team selection.
His first display of football heroism came on Nov. 15, 2011, in the fourth Battle for the Bronze Stalk against NIU’s archrival Ball State University. Sims connected on a 23-yard attempt to tie the game and the game-winning 34-yarder with eight seconds left to complete the Huskies’ 17-point comeback.
Seventeen days later, Sims forever etched his name in NIU history at the 2011 Marathon MAC Championship Game.
“There’s the snap, the placement,” said play-by-play announcer Bill Baker on the game’s radio broadcast. “The kick is on the way, and the kick is … GOOD! MAC champions! MAC champions! Oh, my goodness! From 20 to nothing down, they’re MAC champions!”
Sims’ game-winning boot from 33 yards out granted the Huskies their first MAC title in 28 years.
He displayed similar heroics in the following season, including hitting the 40-yard field goal that forced a second overtime in the 2012 Marathon MAC Championship Game against Kent State University.
The Huskies scored on their ensuing offensive drive and forced a stop to win 44-37. That victory paved the way for NIU’s storied appearance in the 2013 Orange Bowl.
Sims continued his hot streak in NIU’s 2013 season opener at the University of Iowa. He nailed a 36-yard field goal with four seconds to complete the upset win on the road.
A GREAT TEAMMATE IN THE GAME …
Shortly after walking off the Hawkeyes, Sims held his ear to the stunned Iowa crowd.
He knew how to revel in the big moments.
“He’s got the attitude and swagger of a player who’s playing (like) an every-down player, and everybody on the team fed off of that,” said Angelo Sebastiano, NIU’s former wide receiver and punt returner from 2011 to 2013. “After every celebration in the locker room, he was one of the primary guys breaking it down and one of the guys we were all able to rally around because we all knew that Sims’ got it.”
Despite his 5-foot-9, 181-pound frame, Sims fully embraced the foxhole mentality – willing to go to battle for any of his teammates.
“He’s a guy you want back-to-back with you and would be there for you anytime, anyplace,” Sebastiano said. “We’re lucky to have teammates like that, but he was an even more better teammate than just your average teammate. He went above and beyond for anybody.”
By the end of his college career in 2013, Sims had established himself as one of the most reliable kickers to ever wear an NIU uniform. He converted 54-of-79 (68.4%) field goal attempts and 196-of-203 (96.6%) PATs.
Sims finished his time at NIU with 364 points, second-most in program history and six points behind all-time scoring leader Steve Azar.
… AND A BETTER FRIEND AWAY FROM IT
Off the football field, Sims was the easygoing, fun-loving type. He maintained the same level of compassion for others that he had on the green.
“He was laid back and really just enjoyed having a lot of fun,” said Tyler Wedel, NIU’s former punter and kickoff specialist from 2011 to 2014. “He was a great friend. He was always looking out for his buddies and always making sure people felt included. He was just a good guy.”
Sims and Wedel spent three seasons together in DeKalb. The pair worked in close tandem in 2013, the latter serving as the holder for Sims’ kicking attempts.
“Him and I did a lot of competitions together as a unit in postseason, camps and events,” Wedel said. “We were roommates when we traveled on the road, and also, we just spent a lot of time together with practice and meeting rooms. We pretty much did everything together while we were in college.”
Looking back on the years he knew Sims, Wedel had high regard for his old special teams companion.
“I knew him as a great friend, a great teammate and an overall great person who was very determined and focused at being successful,” Wedel said. “Always had other people’s best interests at heart, and he always had a higher expectation when you were around him. He was definitely an uplifting friend.”
To many, Sims was more than just NIU’s stone-cold placekicking hero. More than the Huskies’ extra-point machine.
He was a beloved son, brother and partner. He was a respected teammate. He was a “fierce friend.”
He was, and will forever be, “Mat” Sims.
Fly high, No. 99.
