The 26th player on our list was part of two of the greatest collections of talent in local and college history.
Dick Smith was an offensive-defensive lineman for the 1930 and 1931 Rockford Rabs football teams. The 1930 team was believed to be the best Rockford high school football team until the 1973-1974 undefeated East E-Rabs teams came along.
Surrounded by all that talent, Smith was overlooked locally. He was named honorable mention All-Big Six in 1930 and didn't make the all-conference team at all in 1931. Still, he showed enough that he ended up in Minnesota to play for Hall of Fame coach Bernie Bierman.
The Golden Gophers had lured Bierman away from Tulane where his final three teams went 28-2. Smith was part of Bierman's first recruiting class. Freshmen weren't eligible for varsity Division I football in the 1930s so Smith didn't debut with the Golden Gophers until 1933. He took over as starter midway through his sophomore season and never experienced defeat as a varsity player. The Golden Gophers went 20-0-4 (4-0-4, 8-0, 8-0) in 1933, 1934 and 1935.
The 1934 team was a particular powerhouse, outscoring its opponents 270-38. The 1935 had some close calls. The Gophers beat Nebraska, 12-7; Northwestern, 21-13; and Iowa, 13-6. Still, both teams were named national champions by several of the recognized ranking systems of the day.
Smith was one of three Minnesota lineman named to All-American teams after the 1935 season. Smith was honored by the Associated Press, United Press International, New York World Telegram, Look Magazine and Collier's.
That earned Smith a first and perhaps only. General Mills began making Wheaties in 1924. In 1934, the brand began putting athletes on its cereal boxes to go with its slogan, "The Breakfast of Champions." Smith was included in 1936 when the company featured every All-American from the 1935 season. The NIC-10 History Book was unable to unearth any other locals being on a Wheaties box.
After Smith's senior year, he was chosen to play on several college all-star teams. One was in Hawaii where he met a UCLA student. They married in 1936. With a new wife to take care of, Smith turned down a contract offer from the Chicago Bears after he was picked in the seventh round of the 1936 draft. The NFL didn't offer much in terms of salary.
Instead, Smith embarked on a long business career in California, back in Rockford for three years and then for decades out in Arizona. Over the years, he owned and operated a machine shop, worked in banking, became a partner in an auto dealership, bought a sporting goods store, a bowling alley, a lumber yard, a concrete block company, a ready-mix company and a ranch. Along the way, he had four sons. the youngest, Brad, became a world champion steer wrestler.
Rockford's undefeated college football star died in 2000.
| No. 26 - Dick Smith, Rockford | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Level | School | Accomplishments | Points |
| 1930 | High School | Rockford | Honorable Mention All-Conference | 0.5 |
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| Conference Champion | 1 | |||
| 1931 | High School | Rockford | Losing Team | 0 |
| 1932 | College | Minnesota | Player on Power 5 Freshman Team | 2 |
| 1933 | College | Minnesota | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| National Champion | 1 | |||
| 1935 | College | Minnesota | Letter Winner on Power 5 Team | 4 |
| Starter | 1 | |||
| Winning Team | 1 | |||
| National Champion | 1 | |||
| All-American | 1 | |||
| 1936 | NFL | Bears | Seventh Round Pick | 4 |
| Total | 29.5 | |||
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