On December 8 2006 2006 Heisman winner Troy Smith
For Troy Smith, winning the 2006 Heisman was not as significant as having his mother there to share it with him. As a 9-year-old, Smith had spent a snowy Christmas Eve trying to find his mother, Tracy — to give her the watch he bought her, and to simply see his mom on a family-oriented holiday. He walked the streets in his poor and crime-ridden area of Cleveland with his foster dad, Irvin White. They never did find Tracy Smith, never did give her that watch. At that time, the single mother was lost in personal problems and unable to care for her son and daughter, Brittany. For four years, Troy Smith lived with Irvin and Diane White, while his mother got her life together. During that time, football was salvation for Smith. He played for Irvin White’s Glenville A’s youth-league team, and it meant everything to him. White was the first person to play Smith at quarterback — to put the ball in his hands and trust him to run a team. His natural leadership skills blossomed, and continued to flourish when he played for Ted Ginn Sr. at Glenville High School. Smith teamed with Ted Ginn Jr. to produce a lethal pass-and-catch combination. And elder Ginn stepped in as the male role model in Smith’s life. “I think only a man can teach a man how to be a man,” Smith told ESPN.com in 2006. “He did just that. He didn’t do it in a discipline-oriented way, it was more of a mentoring way.” Smith and Ginn matriculated to Ohio State, where Smith was considered much less valuable. He got the last scholarship of the 2002 recruiting class, and was considered more of a multipurpose athlete than a quarterback. That changed, culminating in his brilliant 2006 season. Smith led the Buckeyes to an unbeaten regular season and won the Heisman in a landslide. It was the culmination of a life saved at least in part by football, and Smith’s mother was there to share the moment with him.
— Pat Forde
Sources:
About The Author
