Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, January 27, 1994                   TAG: 9401270296
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: B1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: ATLANTA                                LENGTH: Medium

BILLS' SMITH HOPES TO MAKE SUPER SUNDAY FATHER'S DAY

"My father's not doing too well," Smith said.

George Smith will turn 73 on Saturday, the day before the Super Bowl. He suffers from heart disease and will mark his birthday in a Norfolk hospital.

Bruce Smith stopped off to see his father Monday on his way to Super Bowl XXVIII. It was not an encouraging visit.

"He's suffering from emphysema. He's had a pacemaker for 11 or 12 years. He's had three heart attacks. The list keeps going on and on," said the Buffalo Bills' All-Pro defensive end. "It's a disappointing situation. He's not going to get better. He'll always be sick."

So, if Smith seems slightly distracted this week, it's understandable. He says all the things a big, tough defender is supposed to say, such as, "If I'm single-blocked the whole game, it's going to be a long day for the Dallas Cowboys."

But it's obvious that Smith is thinking of more important things.

Smith is the cornerstone of Buffalo's defense, the guy with 106 sacks, a fierce end who plays a ferocious position with abandon.

And yet, on Wednesday, there was a softness in his eyes as he talked about his father.

"I called my mom last night to check on him," said the former Virginia Tech star. "The most important thing on his mind is that we make sure and win the game. I respect his wishes. I don't know if he has things in order, though. His health is the main thing.

"It's funny. My father is probably more focused than I am. He wants to see the Super Bowl ring. That will have a positive impact on me."

In other years, Smith has arrived at the Super Bowl with a chip on his shoulder, angered by racist mail one year, annoyed by lingering injuries another. This time, he's repulsed by the Georgia state flag, complete with the Confederate symbol, flying at the Georgia Dome.

"It's unfortunate," he said. "It's ignorant. It offends me."

All those issues pale, though, by comparison with the health of his father.

"He'll be on my mind most of the game," Smith said. "As soon as it's over - and hopefully the outcome will be in our favor - that's the first place I'm going."

His father's health has worsened during one of Smith's most successful years. He had 14 sacks for the second consecutive season, making him the fourth player in NFL history to record 100 sacks in a career.

It also was a year in which Smith began cashing in off the football field. There was the Nike commercial with actor Dennis Hopper - "Baaad!" - Smith said, wrinkling his nose, and another for potato chips, even though that product has been eliminated from his fat-free diet.

"They're good chips," Smith said. "I didn't eat any. I had a spit bucket. I didn't want any fats."

It took 13 hours to finish the chips commercial. "I enjoyed it for three or four hours," Smith said. "There were so many takes. They wanted to make everything perfect. I didn't have to say a word. If I had to say something, it would have taken two days."

Instead, all Smith had to do was scowl - typecasting for an All-Pro defensive end.

Now, though, the scowl is gone, replaced by a look of concern - typecasting for a son whose father is ailing.

Keywords:
FOOTBALL