And then there’s Dave Smith.
Along with having one of the blandest names ever seen in an NFL game, there’s the hair. I doubt that he was trying to revive the “Stymie/Buckwheat” look on this ’72 card, but no one asked me.
Maybe he needed a nickname. Ed Jones wasn’t anything until “Too Tall” made him immortal. Dave Jones? No one cared until he became “Deacon”. Dave “Hairdo” Smith? Dave “The ‘Fro” Smith? “Kewpie Doll” Smith?
He was part of Chuck Noll’s rebuilding process with the Steelers (and even led Pittsburgh in TD receptions in ’71) until he got cocky running downfield for a sure touchdown, held the ball aloft and promptly dropped it before actually scoring the damn touchdown. It cost him a TD reception, but put him on countless “Football Follies” videos and YouTube clips for seven eternities.
Noll, who had the sense of humor of a lump of asbestos, got rid of him at the end of the season, so Smith missed out on the dynasty that was forming at Pittsburgh. Was it the Follies Fumble? Was it the hair? Was it the constant references to “The Little Rascals”?
Dave “Troll Doll” Smith?
Questions, questions…
Dave Smith and The Play
