Bubba Smith Interview (January 4, 1971)

Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith (February 28, 1945 – August 3, 2011) was an American football defensive end and actor. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American honors on the Spartans football team. Smith had a major role in a 10–10 tie with Notre Dame in 1966 that was billed as "The Game of the Century." He is one of only six players to have his jersey number retired by the program. He was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988.[1] The first selection of the 1967 NFL/AFL draft, Smith played nine years in the National Football League (NFL) with the Baltimore Colts (1967–1971), Oakland Raiders (1973–1974), and Houston Oilers (1975–1976). He was the Colts' starting left defensive end for five seasons, playing in Super Bowls III and V. He was named to two Pro Bowls and was a First-team All-Pro in 1971.[2] He had tremendous quickness despite being 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) and 265 pounds (120 kg),[3] a combination which usually earned him a double-team.[2] During his acting career, Smith specialized in comedic roles in film, television, and television advertising. For about a decade following his retirement from football, he appeared in various commercials for Miller Lite. His best-known role was as Moses Hightower in the first six Police Academy movies.[4] Smith was posthumously diagnosed with CTE, a neurological condition generally related to concussion and sub-concussive head trauma. He is one of at least 345 NFL players to be diagnosed after death with this disease.[5] Early life Smith was born on February 28, 1945, in Orange, Texas, to Willie Ray Smith Sr. and Georgia Oreatha Curl Smith, and raised in nearby Beaumont. His father, Willie Ray Smith Sr., was a football coach who earned 235 victories at three high schools in the Beaumont area. Bubba had the opportunity to play for his father at Charlton-Pollard High School in Beaumont.[2] He developed into one of the state's best-ever high school football players.[6] Smith's younger brother Tody Smith played collegiately for the University of Southern California, and professionally for the Dallas Cowboys, Houston Oilers, and Buffalo Bills. Football career College Smith originally had hopes of playing college football at the University of Texas. Even though Longhorns head coach Darrell Royal regarded him as worthy of an athletic scholarship, Royal was unwilling to offer one in the face of racial segregation which prevailed throughout the southern United States at the time. Texas was then a member of the Southwest Conference (SWC), which began to integrate in 1967. The university's football program lagged behind, before acquiescing in 1970. The situation at UT motivated Smith to become a much better player[6] at Michigan State University, where he was an All-American in both 1965 and 1966. He was a popular athlete at Michigan State, earning the arresting fan chant of "Kill, Bubba, Kill." His final game at Michigan State was a 10–10 tie with Notre Dame at Spartan Stadium on November 19, 1966.[7] With both teams undefeated, untied and ranked atop the national polls going in (The Fighting Irish were ranked #1 at 8–0–0, the Spartans #2 at 9–0–0), the match-up was hyped as the college "Game of the Century".[8] Smith was the No. 1 overall pick in the 1967 NFL draft, taken by the Baltimore Colts with a selection originally held by the expansion New Orleans Saints, which had been traded for quarterback Gary Cuozzo. Smith's Michigan State teammate, running back Clint Jones, followed him as the second pick. As of 2022, Smith is the only Michigan State player to be taken first overall. Smith spent nine seasons in the NFL as a defensive end and played in the Super Bowl twice in his first five seasons. The heavily-favored Colts lost Super Bowl III to the New York Jets and won Super Bowl V two years later following the 1970 season. It was Smith's only Super Bowl ring. However, in interviews, Smith stated that he would never wear the ring, out of a sense of disappointment that he and his teammates were unable to win Super Bowl III.[10] He was injured at Tampa Stadium in the 1972 preseason when he ran into a solid steel pole the NFL was using at the time to mark yardage and missed the season. He filed a lawsuit against the Tampa Sports Authority and the NFL for $2.5 million. He contended the referees mishandled the markers, creating "an undue hazard". The court battle lasted six years before ending in a mistrial.[11] He was traded from the Colts to the Oakland Raiders for Raymond Chester on July 16, 1973.[12] He finished his career with the Houston Oilers. He was selected All-Pro one year, All-Conference two years, and went to two Pro Bowls. His legacy is the inspiration behind the documentary, Through the Banks of the Red Cedar, written and directed by MSU teammate Gene Washington's daughter, Maya Washington.