Rod Smith will be remembered as the greatest undrafted wide receiver in NFL history.
Period.
He won’t be remembered for his flashy touchdown dances. He never moonwalked across a Mile High end zone like Butch Johnson, nor did he backflip a la Gerald Willhite.
When he crossed the goal line, he acted like he had been there before.
Even when he hadn’t.
Smith first leaped into our hearts in 1995 with a miraculous grab of a last-second, 43-yard, game-winning bomb from John Elway. It was the king of comebacks’ first last-second win, and it was Smith’s first NFL touchdown. And his first catch.
The undrafted free agent from Missouri Southern had arrived, and by 1996 every team that had taken a pass on the wide receiver with a bum knee from a small school would begin to regret it.
His work-a-day mentality permeated the team. When Elway retired in 1999, Smith stepped up and became its quiet, confident leader.
He was a player who led by example and deed as much, if not more, than he did by words. He never missed an off-season workout.
Smith will retire from the Broncos as the team’s all-time leading receiver in yardage, receptions and touchdowns, having long surpassed greats such as Lionel Taylor, Shannon Sharpe and Haven Moses.
He will be missed as much for the way he conducted himself off the field as for his amazing feats on it.
We tip our orange and blue hats to you, Mr. Smith.
