After early misstep, coach had rich life
11:10 PM CDT on Saturday, September 5, 2009
Going into the '54 season, Dave Smith was in line to be Texas A&M's starting quarterback, at least until the Aggies hired a coach who took his players to Junction that summer.
Before college football's most infamous camp was over, Bear Bryant had run off more than half his players. Dave Smith, third-string fullback, was among the last to leave.
Two decades later, in his final days as head coach at SMU, Smith talked to a Dallas Morning News reporter about the consequences of that decision.
"The biggest mistake I've ever made in my life was leaving Junction," he said. "I didn't exemplify loyalty and the submission to authority, and I would have to say I didn't exemplify courage.
"I have thought about that and tried to rationalize my leaving, but all the rationalization doesn't mean a thing . . . because I left."
If he hadn't left A&M, he wouldn't have gone to Texas A&I, wouldn't have met his first wife and mother of his two children, wouldn't have worked his first coaching job.
But at the time, anyway, it was hard to put an emotional decision in perspective.
Before SMU, he'd coached at Corsicana, San Antonio MacArthur, Sherman and Nederland, which made it to the state final in '61. From '63-'70, he coached at SMU under Hayden Fry in the era of Jerry LeVias and Chuck Hixson. By the late '60s, Smith was the Mustangs' offensive coordinator and one of the nation's hottest assistants.
He left SMU for the CFL, then a year as head coach at Oklahoma State. When SMU fired Fry after the '72 season, officials brought Smith back to succeed his old boss.
But it was not a good fit. Smith quickly got crossways with boosters. SMU turned in the program for extra meals and $10 and $20 incentives paid to players. The Mustangs got two years' probation; Smith got fired after the '75 season with a record of 16-15-2.
Still, Smith had his moments. In '74, unranked SMU upset No. 4 A&M, 18-14.
"Dad used to let his players know which team he really wanted to beat," said Smith's son, Greg.
After SMU, Smith went back to Canada for a year, then returned to the Dallas area, where he worked as a homebuilder, got back into coaching at Garland and eventually worked with disabled kids in DeSoto and Lancaster.
After retiring to Granbury, he was diagnosed with cancer. Doctors gave him a 40 percent chance. He worked the odds for 11 years, until he died last week at 76.
"He got that lymphoma and he fought it," said Joe Boring, who played with Smith at A&M and worked with him at six coaching stops.
"Every time I'd see him, he'd say, 'You know, I'm feeling a lot better now.' "
You might even say he exemplified courage. Junction's finally behind him.
• After the Rangers' bullpen blew a lead last week, C.J. Wilson said someone must have sacrificed a chicken, the karma was so bad. Actually, if the Rangers survive the next couple of weeks without Michael Young, you'll know there was voodoo involved.
• Omar Vizquel as the interim third baseman over Chris Davis is the way to go. Even more than pitching, defense is the reason for the Rangers' resurgence. No reason to back up on that commitment now.
• And then there was none: The Cubs' waiver claim on Thomas Diamond officially removes the last initial of the ballyhooed DVD. Jon Daniels always hated the "DVD" sticker applied to John Danks, Edinson Volquez and Diamond. Put too much pressure on them. Funny, but Danks and Volquez handled it just fine.
• Ran into Mean Joe Greene, now a Pittsburgh scout, at a Texas Tech practice and asked the former North Texas and Steeler great if UNT officials will move his outsized portrait to the new stadium. "I'm working on it," he said.
• Former Ranger and Perryton's own Mike Hargrove was inducted into the National Baseball Congress Hall of Fame. Now manager of the Liberal Bee Jays, a summer team for collegians, Hargrove, who took two Cleveland teams to the World Series, wants to work in the bigs again despite walking away from the Mariners two years ago. Asked frequently how long it took him to get over losing Game 7 to Florida in '97, he says, "As soon as it happens, I'll let you know."
• The ever prolific Gene Wilson, former DMN sportswriter, is out with his latest book, Kings of the Hilltop, about SMU greats from Jerry LeVias to Bobby Folsom.
• Proving the NFL really is a copycat league, Kansas City, Tampa Bay and Buffalo fired offensive coordinators last week. Also proves the preseason means something after all.
• Beijing Olympic beach volleyball gold medalists Todd Rogers and Phil Dalhausser will host clinics for Dallas area high school and college volleyball players Friday, then follow up with a round robin tournament Saturday on the parking lot of the House of Blues. Register at www.nosoxxvolleyball.com for tournament qualifier.
• So MLB has fined Boston closer Jonathan Papelbon more than $10,000 for slow play? Having to sit out with injury may have saved Rangers' Joaquin Benoit money.
• Here's to the first Frito pie of the season. Long may it percolate.