Bubba Smith: 1945-2011

I am too young to have seen him play (he retired in 1976, when I was 10), but I remember developing a particular dislike for Bubba Smith because, well, he had played for the Baltimore Colts, a former division rival of the team I root for, the Miami Dolphins.  Smith, the 6-foot-7, 280 pound NFL legend who some say redefined the defensive end position, died this week at the age of 66.  His highlight reel includes one clip of him absolutely crushing the favorite player of my youth, Bob Griese.

My attitude towards Smith softened when he turned to acting.  Bubba's appearances in the Police Academy movies and in a series of Miller Lite beer commercials revealed him to be soft-spoken, articulate man with a sense of humor.  He was a gentle giant, really, even when he was memorably ripping the top off a beer can.

Smith displayed his principles when he stopped he being a spokesman for Miller Lite.  I remembered reading something years ago about how Smith was appalled that college students were so immersed in the beer culture that he was then a part of.  It took some digging but I found an article that detailed his inner conflict.

Smith was the grand marshal for the homecoming parade at his alma mater of Michigan State, The Los Angeles Times reported in September of 1986.  Smith told the newspaper that students along the parade route and at the football stadium were drunk and that many of them were chanting Miller Lite's slogan, "less filling, tastes great."  He said he felt like he was contributing to alcohol.  Smith, who said he loved making the commercials, decided not long after not to renew his lucrative contract with the beer company.  I learned today from that same article that Smith himself hardly ever drank alcohol.

The L.A. Times today reports Smith's former NFL colleagues are remembering him as a "good guy, great athlete."  That's how I will remember him, too.

Link:
Bubba Smith's obituary in the Baltimore Sun
L.A. Times article from 1986