Alex Smith--Indiana RB--1994-96

S

Stonewall

Guru
Joined
Nov 13, 2007
Messages
311
Location
Maryland
Since 1996, I have wondered what ever happened to Alex Smith, the whitetailback who starred at Indiana University from 1994-1996. In 1994, he was named AP Freshman of the Year following a season in which he became one of only 3 IU freshman backs to run for 200 yards in a game. I don't recall his total rushing yards that year, but I'm sure he easily ran for over 1,000 yards. Alex left IU after his junior year in the fall of 1996, to prepare for the NFL Draft. To the best of my knowledge, he was not drafted in April 1997.


Maybe he got hurt, I don't know. It's hard to research for information on him, with his name being so common, along with the fact that the 49ers current QB of the same name gets a lot of attention. With the wealth of knowledge featured on this forum, I figured somebody would know something about Alex Smith. His status is like an "Unsolved Mystery" for me. I'll tell you, he was one heck of atailback, wearing #23 for the Indiana Hoosiers, the best white tailback I saw during the 1990s. If he wasn't injured, he ended up as another victim of the Caste System.
 
hmm, i didn't remember him to ge honest, and tried to look him up. all i got is this and some history scraps from hoosiers site:

Sept. 3, 1994
Before a national ESPN audience, freshman tailback Alex Smith makes his collegiate debut and rushes 23 times for 152 yards in a 28-3 win over Cincinnati.

Nov. 19, 1994
Alex Smith rushes for a Big Ten freshman record 245 yards on 31 carries as IU defeats Purdue, 33-29, before 62,839 fans at Ross-Ade Stadium. The crowd was the largest in the state of Indiana for a football game at any level that season. Smith finishes the regular season with 1,475 rushing yards.

Fall, 1994
United Press International names Indiana's Alex Smith its Freshman-of-the-Year following the 1994 football season.

09-06-97m03-012.jpg


and this from ebay:

3d16_1.JPG
Edited by: backrow
 
I remember watching him. The guy was good and as EPSN said during one of his games, was an avid outdoorsman and loved to go hunting. Unfortunately injuries hurt his career and I didn't hear much from him after his Soph. season. It's a shame because he sure did have the game to play in the NFL.
 
Smith was signed by the Colts as a free agent but was cut before the regular season and didn't try again to make the NFL.


I watched him as often as I could on TV back then. During that same era Mike Alstott was starring for Purdue and Scott Greene was the main runner for Michigan State, so the Big 10 had three star white runners in the mid-90s. Greene also went undrafted and then was forced to "beef up" and become a blocking fullback in the NFL, something he was completely unsuited for as he was a pure runner. He played mainly for Carolina. Greene is even more forgotten than Smith today, but he was an amazing runner, very quick feet and very elusive even though he weighed around 220 pounds or so.
 
A memorable quote from Bill Mallory,Smith's coach at Indiana, also comes to mind. After Smith ran for 1,500 yards as a freshman, Mallory said, "Blacks have taken charge at wide receiver and running back over the past 20 years, but that doesn't mean you don't give a white kid with ability a chance to play at those positions."


That's from memory not verbatim, but it's pretty close. It always stuck with me. If only all football coaches would have the same philosophy.
 
Thanks for all the info, plus the photos Backrow, Jack, and Johnny. I do remember watching himplay one of his final games in 1996 on ESPN and it was obvious that the announcers had spent a good deal of time speakingwith him prior to the game. They discussed his maturity, the fact that he was married, etc. And, the tone seemed to be oneof, "this guy will be skipping his senior year to enter the NFL , it's expected that he'll be playing at the next level".


I could understand if he had a major knee injury, but it's tough to take that an amazing career could end as a result of a hamstring injury. The worst part is that he wasn't even drafted. The article that Backrow attached from 1995 really exhibits how respected and feared he was at the time. The quotes from the Penn State players make him out to be an elite tailback. And he was.


This forum is a crucial vehicle for ensuring that today's white stars are followed week in and week out so we all are in the know regarding the status of each and every one of them.
 
I remember Scott Greene playing at Michigan State as well. That program was fair to white players back in the mid 80s to mid 90s. I remember white tailback Blake Ezor, a very fast RB with excellent moves, star at MSU from like 1986-89. As was the case with Alex Smith, he was given a lot of carries. Ezor was about 3 inches shorter than Smith who stood at around 6'0". Ezor played in the NFL for Denver, ran for almost 100 yards in a game once, and never received significant playing time again.


After reading about Alex Smith's record number of carries, it looks to me as if he was used to much. A 19 year old kid running the ball that much in a very physical conference like the Big Ten could lead to major problems. Plus, you know that black defenders were out to get him. He had an 81 yard run against Southern Mississippi and a 63 yarder versus Kentucky. I'm sure blacks were outraged by this.


I distinctively remember reading a column by black columnistJason Whitlock in 1994 where he described Alex Smith as "being fast, but having no moves". Why would a Kansas City NFL columnist be writing negative articles about a 19 year old college kid? I wonder...
 
funnily enough i met Scott Greene when i first came to Madrid, he played for local football team Osos (Bears)(amateur football league) for a short while. very good guy.
 
Update

I am from Alex Smith's hometown. I don't know him personally, so what I know comes from our local newspaper/word of mouth, so it may not be entirely accurate. As a previous poster said, he did try out with some NFL teams, but I don't believe he got past training camp. Apparently, he has had issues with the law and drug abuse in the past. Apparently, he is now selling furniture. As I said before, I don't know him personally, so I don't know if he's turned things around or not.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top