Parents taught Bruce well
TAMPA, Fla. — George W. Smith worked at a dump truck company, while moonlighting as a cab driver.
Annie Lee Smith worked for minimum wage at a plastics factory, where temperatures soared past 100 degrees. At lunchtime, she sold sandwiches she prepared at home the night before. She also did odd jobs, like selling Avon products, in her spare time.
“These were all jobs where they were making $2.30 an hour,” Bruce Smith said of his parents. “It just left an impression on me. They did not enjoy what they did for a living, and I had an opportunity to do something that I enjoyed, that I had a passion for.
“My father always told me, ‘Whatever you decide to do in life, you make sure you’re the best at it.’ ”
Smith’s parents and their work ethic is unquestionably the biggest influence on his life.
It drove him to become one of the best players in the history of the NFL, and perhaps its finest defensive end. It also is the reason Smith will be enshrined with the greats of the game after being elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Saturday.
The announcement was an emotional moment for Smith, whose thoughts immediately turned to his family. He spoke of the support of his wife, Carmen, and their 14-year-old son, Alston, providing him with the focus to stay in peak condition so he could continue to perform at a high level.
Smith fought back the tears when talking about his father, who died in June 2000 after a long battle with emphysema. George Smith was 78, which ironically is the number his son wore during 19 mostly dominant years with the Buffalo Bills (15 years) and Washington Redskins.
Smith talked about how he and his father would spend so much time together, going fishing or just talking about life. Smith said his father always had time for him, which is why Smith turned down television job offers to be a NFL analyst. He didn’t want to be on the road all the time and miss any part of his son’s youth.
“You have a small window of opportunity that you have to bond with your son. That’s special,” Smith said. “He’ll be 15 next month, but once he gets to 17 or 18 he’ll be off to college. I would have missed that opportunity. I wanted to be around to go to his football games, to go out and shoot basketball with him or take him out on the golf course with me just to ride around.”
Besides his family, Smith said people in the community where he grew up in Norfolk, Va., helped shape him into the player and person he has become. He also attributed much of the support that he received from them.
“It’s just special to see how a village, a community and the people that didn’t necessarily have to have a vested interest in me took an interest in me to accomplish something special, to be a productive citizen and to achieve greatness,” Smith said.
Smith had 200 career sacks (171 with the Bills), an NFL record and 43 forced fumbles (fourth all-time). He said either former head coach Marv Levy or former defensive coordinator Ted Cottrell would be his presenter at the Hall of Fame ceremony in August.
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