| Date of birth: | February 8, 1920 |
| Place of birth: | Faribault, Minnesota |
| Date of death: | August 28, 1967 (aged 47) |
| Career information | |
|---|---|
| Position(s): | Halfback |
| College: | Minnesota |
| NFL Draft: | 1942 / Round: 13 / Pick: 119 |
| Organizations | |
| As player: | |
| 1945-1948 1948 |
Green Bay Packers Los Angeles Rams |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Awards: | 1941 Heisman Trophy |
| Playing stats at DatabaseFootball.com | |
| College Football Hall of Fame | |
Bruce P. Smith (February 8, 1920 – August 28, 1967), nicknamed "Boo", was an American football player best known for winning the Heisman Trophy in 1941.
Smith was born in Faribault, Minnesota where he excelled in high school football under the legendary football coach Win Brockmeyer, and then he attended the University of Minnesota. He played halfback for the back-to-back national champion Gophers in 1940 and 1941. He received the Heisman two days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.
During World War II he served as a United States Navy fighter pilot. After the war, he briefly played in the National Football League with the Green Bay Packers (1945–1948) and the Los Angeles Rams (1948).
The movie, Smith of Minnesota, was released in 1942. The premiere occurred in his home town of Faribault, Minnesota, to the amazement of the locals due to this novelty. However, laughter was heard in the movie house when certain advanced technologies, for that time (direct-dial phones, streetlights, etc) were seen as part of the scenery - courtesy of being filmed in Hollywood California.
He was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 1967, and he spent the next several months visiting young cancer patients with the Rev. William Cantwell. Smith lost over half his body weight before succumbing to the disease. Cantwell, who was unfamiliar with Smith's sports achievements, nominated Smith for sainthood.
In 1972[1], Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame. His number 54 was the first to be officially retired by the Minnesota Gophers, in 1977.[2]
External links
- ^ College Football Hall of Fame: Bruce "Boo" Smith biography
- ^ Gophersports.com: Bruce Smith biography
| Preceded by Tom Harmon |
Heisman Trophy Winner 1941 |
Succeeded by Frank Sinkwich |
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