Debbie Sims was a multi talented athlete as the following will show. She played after school basketball before high school at Canisius College from 1966-1970. Sports played at Bennett were pre-Title IX Basketball 1971, 72 and 74, Intramural Volleyball 1971-72, 1973 – She played volleyball in the Erie County Recreation Women’s Volleyball tournament, Intramural Floor Hockey 1974 and received the Irene Stern Wilkerson Award when she graduated from Bennett.
Other sports activities included basketball at the Delavan Moselle Center in 1970, 71, 72, & 74. College sports played were basketball and volleyball at ECC North. Post college sports were Buffalo Softball League in the 1980’s and Queen City Bowling 2000 and later. Sims was also a volunteer Golf Coach at Elma Meadows from 2017-2018.
Needless to say, Sims had a varied and impressive sports career. However, her mindset and approach to competing were nonpareil. She said, “I tried to accomplish things that other people thought I couldn’t do. Being a person of color in the era that I grew up in, fueled my desire to compete and do well. I thought that I could contribute and make things better. An incident occurred when I was playing softball. I was being heckled constantly by a stranger. I was determined to show him how mentally tough I was. I used his negativity to hit a home run. After the game I ran over to the stands and shook the hecklers hand for inspiring me with his belligerent comments. I always competed to be the best that I could be.” She continued, “I am really humbled and awed to be inducted into the Bennett High School Sports Hall of Fame.”