Zeke Smith
Encyclopedia
Roger Duane "Zeke" Smith (born September 29, 1936 in Walker Springs, Alabama
) is a former American football
player in the National Football League
for the Baltimore Colts
and the New York Giants
. He played college football
at Auburn University
where he was awarded the Outland Trophy
in 1958. His banner, along with four other Auburn greats - Bo Jackson
, Pat Sullivan
, Tracy Rocker and Carlos Rogers
, is hanging outside Jordan-Hare Stadium
in his honor. He was drafted
in the fourth round of the 1959 NFL Draft
.
http://www.helmethut.com/College/Auburn/ALXXAU5859.html
It's rare that on a National Championship team, even one dominated by defense, that an interior lineman is the shining star. During the great run of superlative years enjoyed by Auburn in the late 1950s, there were a number of outstanding linemen playing both ways for a team that would have been to three or four consecutive bowl games, even in the days when there were but four major bowls, if not for their probationary status. Roger Duane "Zeke" Smith was a slow-footed but powerful fullback at tiny Uniontown, AL High School. Most offenses put their biggest and fastest player at fullback and ran him often and Zeke was the star at Uniontown yet went unrecruited by nearby Alabama. Jordan wondered why his rival, just down the road from neighboring Uniontown, wasn't interested in what was supposed to be a decent recruit. Zeke's father and Coach Jordan's father both worked for Southern Railway and after being told of the weekend exploits of his friend's son, he passed the word onto his son Shug. Given one of the final available scholarships, Zeke was immediately moved to the interior line, also a somewhat standard procedure in that era to make the best use of athletic running backs who had potential for growth. The entire Auburn line of 1957 consisted of converted high school fullbacks and Smith went from a back-up frosh center to a redshirt year on the scout team to the starting All Conference guard in the course of two seasons. "I think I was better as a sophomore than as a junior or senior," said Smith, "I was trying harder to make the team." Nicknamed Zeke by his high school coach because of his affection for Georgia quarterback Zeke Bratkowski, Smith was the standout on an exceptional line, especially defensively, and won the Outland Trophy as a junior in '58. Playing linebacker, defensive end, and offensive guard, Smith lasted six pro years with the Colts, Giants, and Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in an injury-plagued career but he remains the standard by which all Auburn linemen are measured.
Morgan County, Alabama
Morgan County is the most populous county in the Decatur Metropolitan Area, and the second most populous county in the Huntsville-Decatur Combined Statistical Area in the U.S. State of Alabama. It was created by the Alabama Territorial legislature on February 6, 1818 from land acquired from the...
) is a former American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
player in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
for the Baltimore Colts
History of the Indianapolis Colts
The Indianapolis Colts are a professional football team based in Indianapolis, Indiana. They play in the AFC South division of the National Football League. They have won 3 NFL championships and 2 Super Bowls....
and the New York Giants
New York Giants
The New York Giants are a professional American football team based in East Rutherford, New Jersey, representing the New York City metropolitan area. The Giants are currently members of the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
. He played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
at Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
where he was awarded the Outland Trophy
Outland Trophy
The Outland Trophy is awarded to the best United States college football interior lineman by the Football Writers Association of America. It is named after John H. Outland. One of only a few players ever to be named All-America at two positions, Outland garnered consensus All-America honors in...
in 1958. His banner, along with four other Auburn greats - Bo Jackson
Bo Jackson
Vincent Edward "Bo" Jackson is a former American baseball and football player. He was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in two major American sports, and also won the Heisman Trophy in 1985....
, Pat Sullivan
Pat Sullivan (American football)
Patrick Joseph Sullivan is an American football coach and former player. He won the Heisman Trophy in 1971 playing quarterback for the Auburn Tigers and then played in the NFL with the Atlanta Falcons and Washington Redskins. Sullivan is currently the head coach at Samford University...
, Tracy Rocker and Carlos Rogers
Carlos Rogers
Carlos Rogers may refer to:*Carlos Rogers *Carlos Rogers...
, is hanging outside Jordan-Hare Stadium
Jordan-Hare Stadium
Jordan–Hare Stadium is the playing venue for Auburn University's football team located on campus in Auburn, Alabama, USA. The stadium is named for Ralph "Shug" Jordan, the University's winningest football coach, and Cliff Hare, a member of Auburn's first football team as well as Dean of the Auburn...
in his honor. He was drafted
NFL Draft
The National Football League Draft is an annual event in which the National Football League teams select eligible college football players and it is their most common source of player recruitment. The basic design of the draft is each team is given a position in the drafting order in reverse order...
in the fourth round of the 1959 NFL Draft
1959 NFL Draft
The 1959 National Football League Draft was held on December 2, 1958 and January 21, 1959 .-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:...
.
http://www.helmethut.com/College/Auburn/ALXXAU5859.html
It's rare that on a National Championship team, even one dominated by defense, that an interior lineman is the shining star. During the great run of superlative years enjoyed by Auburn in the late 1950s, there were a number of outstanding linemen playing both ways for a team that would have been to three or four consecutive bowl games, even in the days when there were but four major bowls, if not for their probationary status. Roger Duane "Zeke" Smith was a slow-footed but powerful fullback at tiny Uniontown, AL High School. Most offenses put their biggest and fastest player at fullback and ran him often and Zeke was the star at Uniontown yet went unrecruited by nearby Alabama. Jordan wondered why his rival, just down the road from neighboring Uniontown, wasn't interested in what was supposed to be a decent recruit. Zeke's father and Coach Jordan's father both worked for Southern Railway and after being told of the weekend exploits of his friend's son, he passed the word onto his son Shug. Given one of the final available scholarships, Zeke was immediately moved to the interior line, also a somewhat standard procedure in that era to make the best use of athletic running backs who had potential for growth. The entire Auburn line of 1957 consisted of converted high school fullbacks and Smith went from a back-up frosh center to a redshirt year on the scout team to the starting All Conference guard in the course of two seasons. "I think I was better as a sophomore than as a junior or senior," said Smith, "I was trying harder to make the team." Nicknamed Zeke by his high school coach because of his affection for Georgia quarterback Zeke Bratkowski, Smith was the standout on an exceptional line, especially defensively, and won the Outland Trophy as a junior in '58. Playing linebacker, defensive end, and offensive guard, Smith lasted six pro years with the Colts, Giants, and Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL in an injury-plagued career but he remains the standard by which all Auburn linemen are measured.