The old Troy Smith didn't get it. The old Troy Smith would have accepted the
award as another deserved piece on his mantle.
The Heisman is an endeavor any self-serving collegiate football player
aspires to achieve. For that matter, any living, breathing student-athlete that
laces up the cleats would love to walk a mile in Smith's shoes.
But Saturday night at the Downtown Athletic Club, a reincarnated Smith walked
up to the podium to accept, as the 70th recipient of the legendary award, and to
stake his claim to this prestigious honor for all the right reasons. His
team.
Smith thanked everyone under the sun for molding, shaping his career - a
career that could have gone any number of unsettling directions. For living
proof, see Smith's old buddy on campus, Maurice Clarett.
But the difference between the Smiths and Claretts of the world is minute.
Some people grasp what it takes, others do not.
This is why you play the game. It's awards like The Heisman Trophy that
athletes of Smith's caliber are enticed to attend elite programs like
Ohio State, Notre Dame, USC or Michigan in the first place.
Paraphrasing, "I want to thank Brady Quinn and Darren McFadden," Smith said
in his recipience speech. "It's the competition that makes us who we
are."
He's right.
Normally calm, cool and collected under pressure, Smith buckled and showed
signs of emotion. It wasn't because of composure, it was because this
new-and-improved Smith has become team-oriented.
As if guilty to receive an individual award, Smith reluctantly became the
sixth Buckeye to ever accept the award with barely a hint of personal
gratification. But Smith proudly boasted of his selection for one overlooked
motivation: The Heisman is truly a team accomplishment.
Aside from the obvious, The Heisman is typically awarded to successful
players on successful teams, Smith is aware his teammates have helped put him in
this position. The unfortunate (or fortunate for Ohio State) reality is that one
or two losses by the Buckeyes could have cost Smith his shot.
It's depressing to think of how many failures there were to find this one
success story. There were several times in Smith's life, and for that matter,
collegiate career, when he could have become just another statistic.
In particular, 2004 was a key season for Smith. Early in the season, Smith
nearly left the program early in the season over frustration for backing up
quarterback Justin Zwick. Public comments by Smith, who was outraged over his
lack of playing time, sent Ted Ginn Sr. into immediate peace-keeper mode trying
to remind his former relcaimation project of the bigger picture.
Smith ultimately settled into the starting quarterback position for Ohio
State, leaing the Buckeyes to regular season victories in four of their
last five games. But a reported NCAA violation for his acceptance of five
hundred dollars left him again in a precarious position with his team and
future.
He sat out the Alamo Bowl that season - a 33-7 victory against Oklahoma State
as well as the 2005 season opener against Miami (Ohio). It was after the loss in
Columbus to eventual National Champion Texas when Smith took over the starting
job for good.
A 21-1 record later, as well as a total of three consecutive victories over
Michigan as a starting quarterback, Smith is now the first Buckeye to win The
Heisman since 1995 when Eddie George won it. In doing so, he's a molded Jim
Tressel clone - the ultimate "team" guy saying all the right things, and
seemingly, doing all the right things too.
He could have been another talented, pampered, spoiled athlete that comes and
goes - this one with just a little higher ceiling. Saturday night, the Troy
Smith of old could have accepted the award for all the wrong reasons, or simply
for reasons most of us would naturally be tempted to relate to.
Instead, Smith took the podium as the model representative of The Ohio State
University. Since The Heisman is a team award, it's Smith's highest honor.