Ed Smith (running back)
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New York, New York, U.S.
| No. 36, 28, 0 | |||||||||||
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| Positions | Quarterback, Fullback, Defensive back | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | June 17, 1913 New York, New York, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Died | January 29, 1998 (aged 84) | ||||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | ||||||||||
| Listed weight | 207 lb (94 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | George Washington (New York) | ||||||||||
| College | NYU (1932-1935) | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 1936: 3rd round, 20th overall pick | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Edward Smith (June 17, 1913 – January 29, 1998) was an American professional football running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Boston Redskins and Green Bay Packers. He played college football at New York University and was selected in the third round of the 1936 NFL draft.[1]
Smith was what sportswriters used to refer to as a triple-threat: he ran, passed and often quick-kicked in New York University'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.
During the 1935 football season, Smith posed for the Heisman Trophy study with the now-iconic straight or "stiff" arm.[2][3] Sculptor Frank Eliscu 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.
The first Heisman Trophy presentation was on December 5, 1935. Smith did not realize that the sculpture, for which he posed, became the fabled Heisman Trophy until 1982. A documentary filmmaker tracked down Smith through his brother-in-law, Bob Pastor, a former heavyweight boxer who fought Joe Louis twice. The Downtown Athletic Club presented Smith with a Heisman Trophy of his own in 1985.