Edward Smith (June 17, 1913 – January 29, 1998) was an

American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...

in the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...

(NFL) for the

Boston Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football franchise based in the Washington metropolitan area. They are members of the NFC East, East division in the National Football Conference (NFC) of the National Football League (NFL). ...

and

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They ar ...

. He played

college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private university, private research university in New York City, New York, United States. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded in 1832 by Albert Gallatin as a Nondenominational ...

and was drafted in the third round of the 1936 NFL draft. During the 1935 football season, Smith posed for the

Heisman Trophy The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust followin ...

study Study or studies may refer to: General * Education **Higher education * Clinical trial * Experiment * Field of study * Observational study * Scientific study * Research * Study skills, abilities and approaches applied to learning Other * Study ...

with the now-iconic straight or "stiff" arm. Sculptor

Frank Eliscu Frank Eliscu (July 13, 1912 – June 19, 1996) was an American sculptor and art teacher who designed and created the Heisman Memorial Football Trophy in 1935 when he was only 23 years old. The first Heisman Trophy, a strong young bull of a foo ...

asked Smith, his former high school classmate, to pose for a commissioned work involving a football player. They both attended George Washington High School in New York City's Washington Heights neighborhood. Smith did not realize that the sculpture, for which he posed, became the fabled

until 1982. A documentary filmmaker tracked down Smith through his brother-in-law, Bob Pastor, a former heavyweight boxer who fought

Joe Louis Joseph Louis Barrow (May 13, 1914 – April 12, 1981) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1934 to 1951. Nicknamed "the Brown Bomber", Louis is widely regarded as one of the greatest and most influential boxers of all time. He r ...

twice. The

Downtown Athletic Club The Downtown Athletic Club, also known as the Downtown Club, was a private social and athletic club that operated from 1926 to 2002 at 20 West Street, within the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. The Downtown Athletic Cl ...

subsequently presented Smith with a Heisman Trophy of his own in 1985. Smith was what sportswriters used to refer to as a triple-threat: he ran, passed and often quick-kicked in

's single-wing offense during the 1933–1935 seasons. Smith suffered a torn ligament in his left leg and a hemorrhage in his right leg and NYU went 3–4–1 in 1934. The 1935 Thanksgiving game was the last of Smith's collegiate career. The first Heisman Trophy presentation was on December 5, 1935. The

drafted Smith in the NFL's first ever draft in February 1936. He was selected in round three, the #20 pick overall. Smith graduated from NYU in the spring of 1936 and proceeded to a career in professional football. The pay was $200 a game for the twelve-week season. Smith played with the Redskins in the 1936 season. The Redskins played in the 1936 NFL Championship Game at New York's Polo Grounds on December 13, 1936. The Skins lost to the Green Bay Packers 21–6. Smith played with the

under coach

Curly Lambeau Earl Louis "Curly" Lambeau ( ; April 9, 1898 – June 1, 1965) was an American professional football player and coach in the National Football League (NFL). Lambeau, along with his friend and fellow Green Bay, Wisconsin native, George Whitney ...

in the 1937 season. His ligament injury returned while playing in Green Bay and Smith left professional sports. He later played and coached semi-pro football in Springfield, Massachusetts in 1941. As player-coach, Smith again connected with Vince Lombardi, who played under Smith. Smith and his wife Hilda lived most of their life in Washington Heights. Smith worked for Otis Elevator in the post-war era.

NFL career statistics

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Ed 1913 births 1998 deaths American football running backs Boston Redskins players George Washington Educational Campus alumni Green Bay Packers players NYU Violets football players Players of American football from New York City Heisman Trophy