There was a time when Don Smith carried in his head every statistic available from teams he was connected with in Denver.
He could fill up anyone’s question list about the teams at the University of Denver, the minor-league baseball Denver Bears and early days of the Broncos without opening a book.
For variety, it probably was good that Smith left Denver. He broadened his horizons by going to the Western Athletic Conference, the New Orleans Saints of the NFL and finally to the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.
Smith, 84, died Sunday in Tucson after a long illness.
In all of his stops, Smith served in sports information and public relations.
He joined the staff at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1968 and stayed until retiring in 1997. He also was the administrator for the organization’s selection system for new inductees.
Smith not only had thorough knowledge of his places of employment, he also was extremely loyal.
If hearing criticism of any of them, Smith would quickly jump to their defense. He rarely changed his opinion.
Irv Moss, The Denver Post
