VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — Nowadays, Oscar Smith football is liable to win a state title at any time. The Tigers are THE Hampton Roads football powerhouse, 2022 down year aside. They are mainstays late in the state tournament, going back back in 2020-21.
There was a time, however, before the Tigers were unimpeachable Tidewater football royalty. They were on and off the cusp of greatness, but ultimately state title-less.
Until Phillip Sims. En route to becoming one of the top high school quarterbacks in the country, and committing to Nick Saban and Alabama, Sims led Oscar Smith to their first ever state championship in 2008.
Now Sims is hoping to recapture that glory, as head coach at Princess Anne High School.
Sims was at Bama for 2 years, redshirting, losing a QB competition to AJ McCarron and winning a national championship. He transferred to UVA for a season before finishing his college career at Wisnton-Salem. Sims spent time in the NFL and CFL before moving in to coaching.
Since, he's led John Marshall High School and J.R. Tucker High School, both in the Richmond area. Now, he'll continue his coaching career in the area he once dominated.