Smith, Bruce P.
Football
b. Feb. 8, 1920, Faribault, MN
d. Aug. 28, 1967
Stanley Woodward of The New York Times wrote of Smith, "He is the best runner, the best passer, the best kicker. He is the type of back who can go 3 yards with four players hanging on to him." A triple-threat tailback at the University of Minnesota, Smith was a consensus All-American and winner of the Heisman Trophy as the nation's best collegiate player in 1941.
The 6-foot, 200-pound Smith, who ran the 100-yard dash in 10.0 seconds while in high school, was noted for his ability to come up with the big play. With Minnesota trailing the University of Michigan 6-0 in 1940, he ran 80 yards on a muddy field for a touchdown that, with the conversion, gave Minnesota a 7-6 victory and preserved an undefeated season.
He was slowed by a knee injury in 1941, when he captained the team to a second undefeated season. Because of the injury, Smith sat out the first quarter of the game against Iowa. After Minnesota failed to make a first down, he was sent in and he led his team to a 34-14 win. Against Michigan, he threw a 44-yard pass to set up the winning touchdown in a 7-0 victory.
Smith played himself in an autobiographical movie, "Smith of Minnesota," after graduating in 1942 and then entered the Navy. He was named to the all-service team twice, with the Great Lakes Naval Training Station in 1942 and St. Mary's Pre-Flight School in 1943.
In 1945, Smith joined the NFL's Green Bay Packers. He spent four seasons with Green Bay and one season with the Los Angeles Rams before retiring from football.