Football
Smith Leaves Lasting Impression
By John Porentas

It would be impossible to chronicle the great moments that Troy Smith has produced in his Ohio State career.

On the field, Smith will be remembered for great performances in great games; the great runs, the great passes, the great decisions. He will be remembered as the quarterback who beat Michigan...every time, the quarterback was a difference maker.

Off the field, Smith will forever be the player who turned it around. A player who started down the wrong path, only to right his direction and end up as a role model.

Troy Smith
Photo by Jim Davidson

His Heisman Trophy will no-doubt be a highlight in his Buckeye career and in Buckeye lore, and he has a chance to put the icing on the on-field cake this January when he will have an opportunity to quarterback his team to a national championship in Arizona.

Troy Smith will be remembered for all those things, but all those things will pale, in this humble observer's opinion, compared to something that Smith did in New York Saturday, something that marked him as a rare individual, someone who, at a very young age, has shown he has understanding beyond his years, and ability to rise above what some would call justified anger to be something far greater than angry.

It seemed like a softball at the time. Smith had revealed earlier in the evening that he is working on a second degree at Ohio State, this one in black studies. The reporter, a white man, asked Smith if he as a black man was especially proud of his achievement since he is only the third African-American quarterback to win the Heisman and the first in 13 years.

The reporter had, of course, seen the ESPN feature which ran during the presentation show chronicling Smith's rise from the mean streets of Cleveland, from a predominantly black neighborhood that is marked by all the problems of an economically and socially suppressed area. The reporter could have expected a lot of reactions to the question from Smith, reactions that could have ranged from justifiable pride to justifiable anger. What he got from Smith was an answer that separated Smith from the average, and put him in a class by himself as an athlete, as a Buckeye and most of all, as a man. The reporter got no rage from Smith, no chest thumping, no lecture about inequality. Instead he got an answer that demonstrated that Smith has genuinely transcended his beginnings and has a rare quality that allows him to use his notoriety as an athlete to teach life-lessons that are larger than sports.

Troy Smith
Photo by Jim Davidson

"I guess one speech at a time I will fight this battle," Smith began.

"People like to bring up color. I don't understand that.

"I see people. I see quarterbacks. The third African-American quarterback? I don't buy into that.

"I'm just another guy in the list of quarterbacks that won this award," Smith said.

"I don't see color."

Smith's statement quieted the room. His directness, his delivery, his clarity of expression and thought left no doubt in the minds of anyone there that the comment was honest, from the heart, and carried no agenda. It was, simply, an incredible expression of humanity from a young man whose personal background would give him much reason to have a different attitude. His ability to rise above that, and express his view so well, marks him as a remarkable individual, even more than his achievements on the field.

Smith will be remembered for many, many things; big plays, touchdowns and wins. We should all, however, remember him as someone who could have been a bitter person but instead was person who exhibited a quality that is needed not just in sport, but in the world in which we live. Be thankful for Troy Smith.

Heisman Presentation Notes:

* Let the Dreaming Begin: Smith was asked by a reporter how long he had been dreaming of the moment he would win the Heisman. Smith's answer was not exactly what he expected.

"I haven't spent that much time dreaming about it but now that's it's here, I'm going to dream about it tonight. It's pretty cool," said Smith.

* One Regret: Smith seemed to thoroughly enjoy his Heisman experience and handled it extremely well. He did confess to one regret.

"There were so many people who helped mold me along the way, that molded me into the man I am now. I have a genuine feeling for all those people and I didn't get a chance to thank all of them. That hurts me a lot," said Smith.

* The Magnitude of the Achievement: Smith remained both humble and unassuming in accepting the Heisman, yet seemed to understand the importance of the award not just to him, but to everyone in the Ohio State community.

"I'm pretty sure that there will be students who have nothing to do with sports who will be telling their kids somewhere down the line that 'I was in school when Troy Smith was the quarterback and won the Heisman,' because I hear it all the time, that somebody was in school when Eddie George won the Heisman or when Archie won the Heisman. This is a win for everybody, everybody in the state of Ohio, not just Ohio State University, but everyone in Ohio," Smith said.

Smith got a good indicator of the magnitude of his achievement when he embraced OSU Head Coach Jim Tressel after he was announced as the winner and realized just how emotional Tressel was after the announcement.

"Aw man. If you get into a situation where you can shake and rattle him, you've done something, because he is the embodiment of being even-keeled all the way through, being in a situation where it's 90 degrees outside and he has a sweater-vest and a tie on," said Smith.

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