2001 R uss Smith was princely handsome, not overweight, lived on a sailboat, ran 10 miles a day, ate tofu, was not burdened by any workaday cares and died of a heart attack at the age of 56. For a moment, look past the NFL draft.
Life is the greatest mystery.
I came to know Smith when he was serving as a Chargers running back from 1966-71. A blond Adonis, but he didn't seem to be aware of it. He was one of the first out for practice and one of the last to leave. On April 1, according to Carol Smith, her former husband was seated at a table, preparing at have lunch in his sailboat moored at the Long Beach Marina, when he was stricken. She said when family members in Florida were advised of his death, they had difficulty accepting that he had died as he had.