subscribesubscriber servicescontact usabout ussite map
Fri, Nov 27 2009 

Published June 10, 2008 08:21 pm - If Rod Smith is upset that his long professional football career may be coming to an end, he’s doing a good job of hiding his emotions.

Mike Pound: Humble background keeps NFL star connected to MSSU



By Mike Pound

Globe columnist

mpound@joplinglobe.com

If Rod Smith is upset that his long professional football career may be coming to an end, he’s doing a good job of hiding his emotions.

“The last thing I am is upset,” he said. “From where I started from, I’ve already won. I started with nothing. Period.”

Not only did Rod come from a decidedly humble economic background — “My mom raised five kids on $6,000 a year,” he said — but he also entered the NFL in 1994 as free-agent wide receiver from a relatively unknown Division II football program. His chances of making it through his first professional training camp, let alone becoming a legitimate candidate for the NFL Hall of Fame, were longer than the odds that Big Brown would finish last in the Belmont Stakes.

“It (his first professional training camp with the Denver Broncos) was a little intimidating,” Rod said. “Here I was from Missouri Southern, and there were all these guys from schools like USC, Notre Dame and Stanford. They look at you different. It was tough.”

I asked Rod how intimidating it was to try to catch a John Elway pass during that first training camp, and he laughed.

“When you start out like I did, you don’t get to catch passes from John,” he said. “You have to get them from whoever you can.”

Rod, after undergoing two hip surgeries in the past year and a half, is on the Broncos’ reserve/retired list but has yet to officially announce his retirement. There is an outside chance, he said, that he might play again this year, but he doesn’t seem hung up on the idea.

“After 14 years of football, I’m tired,” he acknowledged.

I spoke with Rod last Friday at his annual golf tournament to benefit Missouri Southern State University. As we stood on the fairway at Briarbrook Country Club in Carl Junction, talking about how far he has come, I asked Rod if, as a kid, he ever envisioned a life that would allow him to play golf at private clubs around the country.

He laughed.

“Man, the closest I came to golf was when we would play baseball with a golf ball and a broken table leg,” Rod said. “You would throw the golf ball to whoever was swinging the table leg and get out of the way.”

It is, I think, those memories of his humble background that keep Rod connected with Missouri Southern. Over the years, he has consistently credited the university for much of his success. It was his MSSU football coach, the late Jon Lantz, who convinced the shy, skinny kid from the projects of Texarkana, Ark., that he could become a standout player. Jon, Rod said, also taught him about life off the football field.



print this story    email this story    comment on this story   

Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.


Add a comment on this story







autoconx
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide

Announcements


Click here to VOTE!!

Click here!!

: Special Offer For New Subscribers : 32 buy 1 get 1 free offers

Click Here!


Featured Jobs

TRUCK DRIVERS NEEDED

for local construction project, must have CDL and experience on construction site belly dumps. 417-206-0930.
...>MORE

See all ads

Featured Transportation

2002 KIA OPTIMA EX
4 door, sharp, loaded, leather, CD, sunroof, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1993 CHEVROLET LONG BED
runs good, 4.3 V6, new transmission, needs body parts, $400. (417)438-2508...>MORE

OLDSMOBILE 2003 SILHOUETTE VAN
OLDSMOBILE, 2003 Silhouette mini van, 107,000 miles, scooter/wheelchair hoist, nice, $7000. (417)776-3219....>MORE

TOYOTA 2004 TACOMA PRERUNNER
Toyota, 2004 Tacoma Prerunner, TRD off road, double cab, V6, new tires, CD, bed liner, lid cover, 100,000 miles, excelle...>MORE

2001 FORD WINDSTAR SE
Sport, loaded, all options, great looking van, extra nice, $3200. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1998 CHEVROLET TRACKER
removable hard tops, automatic, air, CD, sharp, $2500. 1317 Schifferdecker, Joplin....>MORE

1998 CHEVROLET S10
4 cylinder, 5 speed, high miles, $1750. 417-214-0022....>MORE

HONDA 2001 CIVIC EX
HONDA, 2001 Civic EX, 4 door, automatic, 94,000 miles, $5800; 1998 Accord, 4 door, $4200; 1999 Honda Prelude, automatic...>MORE

YAMAHA PSR-GX76
76 key keyboard, new in box, sustain petal and music stand, paid $324, sell for $175. 417-434-0925...>MORE

2001 DODGE RAM 1500
SLT/shell, 71,000 miles, 5.9l V8, tow package +, super condition reduced $7690. 417-358-5395....>MORE

See all ads

Featured Homes

Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE

525 E. 41ST, JOPLIN, MO

to be sold at auction December 5th or before. Lovely all red brick home on large corner. 4 bedroom, 2 bath, double
...>MORE

3 ACRES
3 ACRES more/less with pond. Nice park-like setting, just minutes from Range Line. Close to area of newer homes. $19,900...>MORE

NEWER 3 BR/2 BA
Lots of upgrades and great location. $149,000 but all offers considered. 903 Katlin, Carl Junction. Pictures www.fsboloc...>MORE

See all ads

Other Cool Stuff

NEW IN BOX
New in box, Lucchese cowboy boots, black, size 9D, $200. (620)231-9256...>MORE

POODLES
POODLES, standard pups, born 10/10, registered, shots, wormed, family raised. Adorable personalities! 417-673-3892....>MORE

MALTESE PUPPIES ADORABLE!!

6 weeks old Thanksgiving. 2 boys and 2 girls. Shots, wormed, and vet checked. Healthy, active, and loved! Great Ch
...>MORE

5TH WHEEL
5TH WHEEL, 2004 Prowler Regal, 26’, 2 slides, loaded, nice. (620)674-2127....>MORE

YORKIES
12 weeks old, 2 males, AKC, 1st shots, $175. 417-291-6590, Webb City...>MORE

INDIAN HEAD PENNIES
INDIAN HEAD PENNIES, 35% Civil War II nickels, V nickels, Buffalo nickels, lots of other coins. Garage full of antiques ...>MORE

I WANT TO BUY
6’ t-post, 5’ wire. Call for details. (417)396-1339...>MORE

MALTESE PUPPIES
2 gorgeous AKC males, 8 weeks on 11/30, all shots/vaccines, $200 each. 417-325-4340 ...>MORE

REWARD $50,000 REWARD

Offered for any information leading to conviction of any person or persons known to have been involved in alleged
...>MORE

ENGLISH BULLDOG PUPPY
male, AKC, fawn/white, champion bloodlines, $900 or best offer. (417)396-3340...>MORE

See all ads


 

Community Newspaper Holdings, Inc.CNHI Classified Advertising NetworkCNHI News Service
Associated Press content © 2009. All rights reserved. AP content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Our site is powered by Zope and our Internet Yellow Pages site is powered by PremierGuide.
Some parts of our site may require you to download the Flash Player Plugin.
View our Privacy Policy
Advertiser index

 

 

The Joplin Globe Electronic Edition