College Football Hall of Fame defensive end Bubba Smith of Michigan State passed away Wednesday, Aug. 3. He was 66.

Smith had a superb beginning. His father, Willie Ray Smith, was a great high school coach in a great football state, Texas; his mother earned two college degrees. Bubba learned football playing for his father in Beaumont, Texas, and refined it as a two-time All-America defensive end at Michigan State in 1965 and 1966. During those years Michigan State won one MacArthur Bowl and shared one with Notre Dame. The MacArthur Bowl is presented annually by the National Football Foundation to the national champion.

Smith was the Baltimore Colts' first draft choice and made all-pro. He also played for Oakland and Houston in a ten year pro career. In the 1980's Bubba blossomed as an actor in movies and TV, notably in Police Academy and Blue Thunder. He's always been a big man, and these figures are amazing; in college he played at 6-7 and 283-pounds. As a pro, he went over 300- pounds. He won fame as a speaker to youth groups, and he said, "I take my parents with me, to demonstrate my respect for them." He described election to the College Football Hall of Fame, "The jewel in my crown, for my collegiate days were very special to me."