Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, September 24, 1995 TAG: 9509250090
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: BLACKSBURG LENGTH: Long
Bruce Smith was introduced at halftime Saturday at Lane Stadium.
What his alma mater really needed was for the most celebrated player in Virginia Tech football history to be announced with the Hokies' starting lineup.
``That would have cost them,'' Smith said before Tech's 13-7 triumph over Miami. ``I get paid to go out there now.''
Does he ever. Smith signed a four-year, $13.6 million contract with the Buffalo Bills before the 1993 NFL season, and he's added an extension through 1997 since then.
The Norfolk native returned to campus as part of the annual Tech Sports Hall of Fame induction class, a group that also included his former teammate and AFC East rival, ex-Dolphins fullback Tony Paige.
The trip also gave Smith a chance to meet the first recipient of the endowed scholarship he has provided to the school with more than $52,000 in payments.
Janice Parker, a sophomore majoring in animal science, has the grant that goes to a worthy student - ``dedicated, but not having the money needed to come here,'' Smith said - who followed him to Tech from Booker T. Washington High.
Smith's visit happened only because the Bills have an open date today before visiting Cleveland for a Monday night contest on Oct.2.
His career has been a prime-time affair for years. In his 11th season with the Bills, Smith, 32, said he now ``takes it one year at a time. When I'm not having fun anymore, that's when I'll stop playing. But I enjoy the game a lot. I love what I do for a living.''
What he does is make life miserable for opposing quarterbacks and offensive linemen. The defensive end's famed helicopter move on the pass rush has made him the top sack man in AFC history.
The quick first step toward the line of scrimmage gets an offensive tackle moving in one direction. Smith then spins, thrusting his right arm skyward, jolting the opponent's arm and knocking the offender off-balance. That paves the way to the QB.
How good is Smith? Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason, who has been around enough to know, said there are four players in the NFL who can carry their teams on their backs - Emmitt Smith, Jerry Rice, Barry Sanders and Smith.
Smith is a seven-time Pro Bowler, and the Bills' rise to prominence in the AFC paralleled his arrival after being the first pick in the 1985 draft as the Outland Trophy winner.
Five times in his previous 10 NFL seasons, Smith has won or shared the league or conference's defensive player of the year honor. In a poll of Pro Football Hall of Fame voters by Sports Illustrated last month, he was a near-unanimous pick as a future inductee to the Canton, Ohio, shrine.
``What I'd like to know, is who are the two guys who didn't vote for me,'' Smith said, smiling. ``No, really, it felt great, but I really don't like to read those things, because my career is still going on.''
Smith said that his NFL goals were three-fold. One he's reached. Another he is certain to reach. The other he has barely missed.
``One is becoming financially secure for the rest of your life,'' Smith said. ``Going to the Hall of Fame is another. The one I want most is winning the Super Bowl.
``Taking part in four [with the AFC champion Bills following the 1990-93 seasons] is not enough. I want to win one. That would be attaining the ultimate.''
After the Bills finished 7-9 and missed the 1994 playoffs, Smith wasn't as soft-spoken as usual. He told Buffalo management that the club needed defensive help.
``For so many years, I carried the defense,'' said Smith, whose No.78 in one of only four football uniform numbers retired by the Hokies. ``The weight was on my shoulders, and I couldn't do it all.
``I think we've gone out and gotten some help in the off-season in free agency. Our defense is improved. There's some help there.''
Smith didn't have a sack in the Bills' first three games, but the attention he continues to draw in double teams ``kind of leaves some other guys to make plays,'' he said. ``That's OK with me. [Linebacker] Bryce Paup had three sacks, two forced fumbles and 10 tackles last week.''
Smith was a dominant player at Tech, recording 46 career sacks. The all-time Division I-A record belongs to Derrick Thomas, who had 52 for Alabama.
His opportunity to star for Tech established a foundation for his career. Before Saturday's game, he spoke to the current Hokies and told them all was not lost despite a winless start.
``Just because you start off 0-2 doesn't mean the season is over,'' Smith said. ``There have been NFL teams that have started off 0-2 and went on to win the Super Bowl.
``One of them, unfortunately for us, was the Dallas Cowboys. So, it's not how you fall down. It's how you pick yourself up. It's how you react after being down.''
The Hokies must have listened.
Keywords:
FOOTBALL
by CNB