Canton Beckons For Bruce Smith: ‘That’s what I miss the most – the camaraderie..’
August 7, 2009 – 7:15 am by Michael Bean
The NFL’s all time leading sack man, Bruce Smith, is set to be enshrined in the Professional Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio this coming weekend. Smith will be a first ballot Hall of Famer after playing 19 years, surpassing the late Reggie White for the most sacks in NFL history. Smith, who was a member of the Buffalo Bills when they made the Super Bowl four years in a row, will join Rod Woodson, Bob Hayes, the late great Derrick Thomas, Ralph Wilson, and Randall McDaniel as this year’s class of inductees. Smith joined KHTK in Sacramento to talk about the honor, to reflect on his career and to share a little bit about what he’s been up to since hanging up his cleats in 2003.
On his emotions on the eve of being inducted in to the Hall of Fame:
“Well, there are a mountain of emotions to be honest with you. This time allows me to reflect back on my childhood years, my high school years, my college years, and certainly my years as a pro. And I just have fond memories of all the individuals that have impacted my life as a youth. And seeing more in me than I saw in myself at that point in time. So there’s a tremendous amount of emotions that are flowing, but once I get to Canton, hopefully I’ll be able to slow down and take it all in.”
On what he feels was the most special part of being an NFL player for so long:
“I got to tell you. It was the relationships I built over the course of my 19-year career, even extending beyond past the years I played professional sports. Some of the guys I played with and I played against – we talk on a weekly basis. We play golf together. We do the little things together like asking each other about our kids and genuinely showing support for one another. So that’s what I miss the most – the camaraderie, being able to spend the Holidays sometimes with your teammates because you all for so long had a common goal and that was to go out win games and make the fans cheer. So that was so exciting for me.”
On his amazing longevity and durability during his 19 year career:
“Well I think it’s a testament to my parents to be quite honest with you. The way they worked and struggled on a daily basis. And keep this in mind, back then, a lot of our parents didn’t enjoy what they did for a living. They did it because they had responsibilities – they had to take care of their families and put food on the table and a roof over their head. So when I had the opportunity to play this sport that I love and have a passion for, that’s when special things happen. And I owe a lot of credit to my team of physicians off the field…While they did their job, when I tore my body up they put it back together, I think some of the things that I did paid big dividends in the long run. Like staying in shape year round, rather than going to camp to get in shape, you go to camp already in shape and you’ll be well ahead of the game. Little things like not being on a diet, but having a lifestyle of eating healthy. That’s extremely important whether you’re playing football or you’re not. Those are important things that you should try to do on a daily basis. So there are a lot of variables that came in to play why I played 19 years. I attribute a lot of that to my parents, but at the same time, there were some doctors, and certainly Marv Levy played a big role in that as well.”
Listen here to Smith with Mike Lamb and Grant Napear on KHTK in Sacramento
Tags: Bruce Smith, Buffalo Bills, greatest defensive linemen in NFL history, KHTK, NFL Hall of Fame, sacks leaders in nfl history
