TALLAHASSE, Fl. (WTXL) — The 12th Annual Ernie Sims Charity Track Meet was held Saturday morning for all ages. Ernie Sims is a 4-time state champion in football at North Florida Christian. He went on to star at Florida State, and eventually declared for the Draft, playing for the Detroit Lions and the Dallas Cowboys. However, the Tallahassee native has never forgotten where he came from.
Ernie Sims played for the legendary Bobby Bowden, and so did his father, years earlier. Sims' mother was a track star at FSU, as well.
The retired Dallas Cowboy explained that when he was still playing professionally, he started the Ernie Sims Big Hits Foundation. He might have been young when that foundation was started, but he said he knew what he wanted to do, and that was to continue what his parents had started years before.
Sims explained, "The reason I started my foundation, essentially, was to continue doing the work in the community, what my parents were doing. So, when I was a little boy, they had a non-profit organization called The Way Ministries and Winning America's Youth. Through that program, they had a track club called Capital City Christian Cruisers, if you see my boys, they have shirts on that say CCCC Track Club and essentially, through that program, my parents, they impact the young men and women."
Sims is extremely appreciative of his parents. Not only did the duo show him what a true marriage looks like, but they also taught him how to remain humble and what teamwork is made of.
Sims is obviously a sports guy. So sports is his way of helping the younger generation find their passion. "I just simply want to give these kids an opportunity to achieve whatever they want to achieve in life. Sports, for me, especially has been a great avenue to make a name for myself and be successful. A lot of people chase being a doctor, being a lawyer, or being a news broadcaster, but for me, sports was that avenue. I just want to find any way I can to empower these young people through and through the game of sports."
Sims added that he plans on keeping the charity track meet alive for as long as he can.
