Rest in Peace Bubba

The obituaries of Charles "Bubba" Smith that I read all broke down his life in similar ways. He played high school football for his father in Beaumont, Texas before coming north to star at Michigan State. During his time there he played in the 1966 edition of The Game of the Century and at least one obit mentioned his knocking starting Notre Dame QB Terry Hanratty out of the game with a tough hit. Then the obits give Bubba plenty of space for his pro career and then multiple paragraphs for his acting. Huh?

Bubba Smith's fame is directly related to his college career. He was a college superstar, arguably the first national black superstar in college football. Although there were many--and I use that term loosely as there should have been thousands more--black football players who starred in the sport prior to Bubba, from Ernie Davis and Jimmy Brown at Syracuse to Jim Parker at Ohio State or Kenny Washington of UCLA, none of those players dominated on a national stage at such a high level of popularity/notoriety as Smith did at MSU. For one thing, Smith's stage was bigger than the others because he played in the Big Ten, the nation's number one conference at the time, and, unlike Parker or the black stars at Minnesota a half decade earlier, played a highly-visible role on television. Yes those earlier players paved the way for someone like Bubba, but we cannot deny Smith's place in the pantheon of college football celebrities. Who else would inspire the "Kill, Bubba Kill" chants that echoed throughout Spartan Stadium?

While one could argue that Bubba was not even the best African-American player on his own defensive unit, with George Webster dominating from his rover position, Smith was the most visible and most imposing. He also had a winning personality, which came through in his later acting career. The camera, like Michigan State fans, fell hard for his out-sized body, play and personality. That he would then play in huge games versus Big Ten rivals, UCLA in the Rose Bowl and Notre Dame in the battle for the national title, cemented his stature as a superstar.

If anything his pro career was a bit of a disappointment thanks to a devastating knee injury. Smith did play in two pro bowls with the Colts, but he never topped his college celebrity. Then again, how could he?

There is another important role Smith played in the history of sport that is again related to his college career. By being forced to leave his native Texas to play big-time college ball thanks to the refusal of Texas teams to integrate, and then becoming a superstar, Smith opened a lot of eyes in the Lone Star State. In 1965 and 1966, when Smith was helping MSU to a 19-1-1 record and a UPI title in '65, the Texas Longhorns were 13-8, Texas A&M Aggies 7-12-1, SMU Mustangs 12-8-1, etc. It was soon becoming clear that the South needed to address the integration situation or more and more teams from other regions would do well nationally with kids from their own backyard. Bubba's celebrity got a lot of folks talking.

As much as I loved Bubba's beer commercials and respected his pro career, I know that when someone remembers Bubba Smith 50 years from now it will be for his play at Michigan State.