We are 54 days away from college football kickoff. Another Monday. Another week. As well as another day closer to the kickoff of college football season. Today, we have Bruce Smith a Heisman winning Golden Gopher. We also have Dwight Freeney an outstanding Syracuse Orangeman. Be sure to check back tomorrow for #54 in our countdown to kickoff. Enjoy!
Bruce Smith (54) Days Away From College Football Kickoff
First Gopher Heisman
Bruce Smith was a standout athlete at Faribault High School. He decided to attend the University of Minnesota, following in his father’s footsteps, who had attended in 1911.
Smith earned Minnesota’s first Heisman Trophy as he helped the Gophers win two national championships in a row. He received the Heisman just two days after the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Smith’s acceptance speech is one for the history books.
Smith was the Marquis triple-threat tailback of his era, he epitomized the single-wing offense and could seemingly do it all. Although well over 200 pounds, he was one of the Big Ten Conference’s fastest men. In 1941, the team captain led the Gophers to their second consecutive undefeated season and national championship. For his efforts, Smith beat out Notre Dame’s Angelo Bertelli for the Heisman.
After graduation, Smith earned MVP honors in the College All-Star game against the Chicago Bears that summer. The following year, before serving in World War II, he went to Hollywood and starred in the movie “Smith of Minnesota,” which tells the story of a small-town family whose son becomes an All-American halfback.
Smith became a Navy fighter pilot and also played football for the Great Lakes Navy team. After returning home in 1945, he joined the Green Bay Packers and later the Los Angeles Rams. He spent four years in the NFL, mostly playing defense, but injuries kept him from reaching the same level of success he had in college.
In 1947, Smith almost died after suffering a ruptured kidney during a game against the Chicago Bears. After that, he retired at age 29 and returned to Faribault to raise his family.
Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972. In 1977, he became the first Minnesota player to have his number, 54, retired.
Smith was diagnosed with cancer in the spring of 1967 and passed away from the disease on August 28 that year.
Another Great #54 Dwight Freeney, Syracuse
In 2001, Dwight Freeney recorded 17.5 sacks in his senior year, setting a single-season record at the time. From 1998 to 2001, He totaled 34 sacks and set both the program’s single-season (17.5) and single-game (4.5) records.
Freeney finished ninth in the Heisman Trophy voting and was a finalist for the Bednarik, Lombardi, and Nagurski awards. He was a consensus All-American and shared the BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year award as a senior.
Freeney was drafted by the Colts in 2002 as the 11th overall pick. He played 11 of his 16 seasons in Indianapolis, where he won Super Bowl XLI, made seven Pro Bowls, and earned three All-Pro honors. In 2024, he was inducted into the Hall of Fame in Canton and had his jersey retired at Syracuse.
Editor’s Note: The countdown to college football kickoff has been a series on the Last Word on College Football social media platforms for the past 9 years. They consisted of a photo and a small blurb for each player, with the jersey corresponding to the number of days until kickoff. The rank of the players is sourced from articles by Bleacher Report, Fox Sports, and The Athletic. There are also some favorite players of the Last Word on College Football writers. Their bios are sourced from multiple online sources, including but not limited to the College Football Hall of Fame, their Heisman profiles, and school websites.
Main Photo: University of Minnesota Athletics
