gebe659

August 3rd, 2011 at 6:42 PM ^

Did you ever watch him play football?  Dude was a wrecking ball.  He was the best player on one of the best Big Ten defenses ever, the 1967 #1 overall draft pick, 2-time national champion with MSU, 2-time Pro-Bowler with the Colts...

Either way--RIP big fella :(

Yost Ghost

August 3rd, 2011 at 9:06 PM ^

...the privilege of meeting Bubba through a family member that was very close to him. I have to say he was a great guy (for a Spartan) very humble and very much a straight shooter. He had a passion for football and loved to talk about it as long as someone was willing to listen. I had many great talks with him about his passion. He had some very interesting opinions regarding Superbowl III. 66 is way too young to die for a guy that had a lot of life still left in him. He was an amazing player and is still the only Spartan to go #1 in the NFL draft. He will be missed and he leaves this world to the distant echoes of "Kill Bubba Kill"! Rest easy big man you're no longer plagued by the relentless pain that you had to endure in life.

Umich4Life

August 3rd, 2011 at 8:21 PM ^

Bubba was a true beast, no doubt about it.  And props to Duffy Dougherty for recruiting black players from the south who couldn't get offers from the southern schools.  That talent won MSU their national championships in the 60's.  Props to them for that, and mad props to Bubba!  RIP

Wolverine In Exile

August 4th, 2011 at 9:05 AM ^

Bubba Smith was the epitome of Biggie & Duffy's strategy for building MSU into the power it was in the 50's-60's. MSU cleaned up the black recruits from southern states and made themselves into national title contenders. It wasn't until Texas, Oklahoma, and the SEC started ending their racist ways that the football power shifted back toward the south during Bear Bryant, Darryl Royal, and Barry Switzer's rise in the 70's into the 80's which by that time racism (at least in recruiting) had been driven out of all major college football conferences.

Schembo

August 3rd, 2011 at 9:29 PM ^

There are certain people who you admire and respect, no matter what your allegiance is.  Bubba Smith was one of those of those people..RIP

Wolverine 73

August 4th, 2011 at 9:05 AM ^

1966, MSU-ND, 10-10, Ara Parseighan trying to run out the clock.  At the snap, Bubba puts his blocker on his ass, grabs QB Coley O'Brian and drags him down in one motion, rolls over him, pops up and calls time.  Took maybe 4 seconds.  He was awesome.