Gopher legend Bruce Smith's son: "none of us are surprised by the disrespect we’ve gotten from the U…. Sad, Really, but it is what it is"

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BleedGopher

BleedGopher

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In a thread over the weekend about the Heisman winner and there being no statue of him outside the stadium:



Go Gophers!!
 

Wasn't really an option or a good place for a statue from 1983 to 2009. Not all on the school. Got to have someone that will fund, design and construct it as well. Has there been a formal request with funds to do so? Hope the history of the program can one day have a good location at the stadium, but then I've never looked. Basketball and Hockey have done a nice job throughout their arenas.
 


Given the funding issues public universities have due to state budget cuts, any statue in tribute to an athlete like the legendary Bruce Smith would have to come from private donations. I am surprised that some corporation hasn’t come forward to do so. I wonder if Scott Smith has made any effort to move this idea forward.
 



Bobek said:
Given the funding issues public universities have due to state budget cuts, any statue in tribute to an athlete like the legendary Bruce Smith would have to come from private donations. I am surprised that some corporation hasn’t come forward to do so. I wonder if Scott Smith has made any effort to move this idea forward.
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BTN provides U of M Athletics a steady and increasing flow of cash. Somehow they should be able to use a portion of that to fund a statue on the Plaza at The Bank.
 

GFBfan said:
BTN provides U of M Athletics a steady and increasing flow of cash. Somehow they should be able to use a portion of that to fund a statue on the Plaza at The Bank.
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I don't necessarily disagree, but the tennis and track & field people would absolutely lose their minds if it happened.
 

Getting the statue is right up PJ's alley. As Reusse said about Holtz, PJ likes to act like he has deeper roots than Father Hennepin. I don't mind that he acts that way and a statue would further that claim.
 
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Bobek said:
Given the funding issues public universities have due to state budget cuts, any statue in tribute to an athlete like the legendary Bruce Smith would have to come from private donations. I am surprised that some corporation hasn’t come forward to do so. I wonder if Scott Smith has made any effort to move this idea forward.
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Maybe Smith ski goggles would fund it, just have the statue wear a pair of goggles in the winter and Smith Shades in the summer. And get Ford to do one for Bronko Bronco Nagurski. Seriously though, we should have a statue. Seems like a no-brainer to have it happen.
 

Maybe a dumb question but are there other statues of former athletes anywhere at the U? Years and years ago there was a massive rotating Bronco Nagurski in the main entry way of the football complex but I can't think of any other statues.

Sorry the kid feels disrespected but feels like he is looking for some special recognition that the U hasn't given to other famous athletes from the school.
 

MNVCGUY said:
Maybe a dumb question but are there other statues of former athletes anywhere at the U? Years and years ago there was a massive rotating Bronco Nagurski in the main entry way of the football complex but I can't think of any other statues.

Sorry the kid feels disrespected but feels like he is looking for some special recognition that the U hasn't given to other famous athletes from the school.
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Yeah would we put up a Nagurski, Bierman, Jordan Leopold, John Mayasich, Herb Brooks, Dave Winfield etc... How do you decide?
 




All good points, but I’d say it’s sad that I’m a Gopher football fan and didn’t know we had a Heisman winner. Name an Entrance of the Stadium after him, should be some relatively easy and inexpensive way to honor him.
 

GVLCGopherFan said:
The lack of a statue is not a sign of disrespect. It's not like the campus is littered with statues of sports figures and Bruce Smith isn't represented.
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This. Not all stadiums have statues.

I can't stand the vague comments about being disrespected. Is it just because of the statue? Or are there other things?
 

BleedGopher said:
In a thread over the weekend about the Heisman winner and there being no statue of him outside the stadium:



Go Gophers!!
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I believe Kinnick is the only stadium named for a Heisman winner. He also is memorable for the purposes of his status as an icon regarding his post Heisman speech, service to country, etc.

you can choose to see "disrespect" and get all upset about it or you can understand perhaps whether there's a statue or not means nothing in regards to "respect" from the University
 

Smith is one of only 5 Gophers that have had their Number/Jersey retired, along with some other really big names (Nagurski, Giel, Smith, Stephens & Bell). For a long time he was 1 of 3.

Pretty big honor, just saying.
 

It’s time for the Goal Line Club to sponsor a statue of Bruce Smith for in front of the stadium. There is enough money coming in from the BIG network to support the operations of the program.

Get it done before the 100 year anniversary of him winning the award is celebrated.
 


Does Bruce fam have any connection to the U these days?

Not getting a stature doesn’t seem like disrespect…. that comment rubs me the wrong way.
 
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A_Slab_of_Bacon said:
Current administration is at fault for not yet doing what the the previous…. never did?
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Yep....because that kind of thought process makes complete rational sense. It's Coyle's fault there isn't a statue of a player that played for the U back in the 40's.

So many people out there working so hard to find reasons to be offended and someone to blame....gets tiring.
 


I guess at at minimum, you could go around the Big Ten (or at least the original 10) and see how many total statues there are of football greats.

I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't that many.
 

Maybe the Gophers could start up a "Ring of Honor" type deal?

The Smith son could stand in for his dad at the initial honor ceremony, say during homecoming.
 

Comparing Smith to Kinnick isn't quite fair. While Smith served his country honorably during WWII, Kinnick was killed in a training mission off the coast of Venezuela in 1943. Kinnick even has a Japanese high school named for him (for children of US military personnel). A quick look around shows that (perhaps not surprisingly) Heisman trophy winner statues are mostly found in the South and it is a more recent phenomenon. None of the Notre Dame (7 recipients), Ohio State (7) or Michigan (3) Heisman winners have statues (although Paul Horning does have a statue in his hometown of Louisville, but that honors him more as a footballer in general). Notre Dame does have statues of their 5 national championship coaches around the stadium, including Lou Holtz!

What might be nice in the stadium would be to somehow recognize Smith's achievement via a plaque, display case, etc.
 

cemba99 said:
Comparing Smith to Kinnick isn't quite fair. While Smith served his country honorably during WWII, Kinnick was killed in a training mission off the coast of Venezuela in 1943. Kinnick even has a Japanese high school named for him (for children of US military personnel). A quick look around shows that (perhaps not surprisingly) Heisman trophy winner statues are mostly found in the South and it is a more recent phenomenon. None of the Notre Dame (7 recipients), Ohio State (7) or Michigan (3) Heisman winners have statues (although Paul Horning does have a statue in his hometown of Louisville, but that honors him more as a footballer in general). Notre Dame does have statues of their 5 national championship coaches around the stadium, including Lou Holtz!

What might be nice in the stadium would be to somehow recognize Smith's achievement via a plaque, display case, etc.
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That would be way more feasible, I would think.

What about naming an entracnce gate for Bruce Smith or something?
 


Gophers_4life said:
Maybe the Gophers could start up a "Ring of Honor" type deal?

The Smith son could stand in for his dad at the initial honor ceremony, say during homecoming.
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The retired jerseys/numbers for which Smith is so honored and is on the upper deck just above where I sit. That already feels like a "ring of honor".

Paul Giel #10
Sandy Stephens #15
Bruce Smith #54
Bronko Nagurski #72
Bobby Bell #78

Hey, I have no problem if someone wants to pony up to honor Smith additionally. The Heisman is a big deal. The other guys accomplishments are also pretty great too, so where does it end? The Heisman predated Nagurski. Giel finished 2nd in the Heisman, lettered in 2 other sports and was AD. Stephens was a ground breaking QB and Bell was perhaps the best NFL player ever to come out of the U, especially in the Super Bowl era.

Give them all a statue? Sure. I would kick in some bucks for any and all of them.
 

cemba99 said:
Comparing Smith to Kinnick isn't quite fair. While Smith served his country honorably during WWII, Kinnick was killed in a training mission off the coast of Venezuela in 1943. Kinnick even has a Japanese high school named for him (for children of US military personnel). A quick look around shows that (perhaps not surprisingly) Heisman trophy winner statues are mostly found in the South and it is a more recent phenomenon. None of the Notre Dame (7 recipients), Ohio State (7) or Michigan (3) Heisman winners have statues (although Paul Horning does have a statue in his hometown of Louisville, but that honors him more as a footballer in general). Notre Dame does have statues of their 5 national championship coaches around the stadium, including Lou Holtz!

What might be nice in the stadium would be to somehow recognize Smith's achievement via a plaque, display case, etc.
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I guarantee that somewhere at the stadium there is recognition of Bruce Smith beyond the number on the facing of the upper level. He may not have a statue but let’s not pretend the U is pretending he didn’t exist.
 

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