The Legacy of Brad Smith

Tomorrow at 1 p.m., I will be sitting on a bleacher at Faurot Field, watching the final game of Mizzou quarterback Brad Smith. Truly the greatest player to ever don the black and gold, Smith will leave school with an all-time win-loss record of only near .500. He will set tons of school, conference, and NCAA records, but he'll never win the Heisman trophy, and he will never compete for a national championship. As I sit there tomorrow, I'll think less about my selfish desires as a die-hard Mizzou fan and more about the man Brad Smith. He deserved better. He left everything on the field. He never complained. He never criticized his teammates or coaches. He just played hard and at the highest level. But, at best, he'll have only seen two lower-tier bowl games in his career. And this year and last, he's had to endure the criticism of some who didn't see what they had in Brad-- at least until he put 480 yards on Nebraska. Brad Smith, thanks. Thanks for taking your cues from the life of Jesus and not Terrell Owens. Thanks for the memories.