Under the Helmet: Rodney Smith
11/7/2019
Rodney Smith has always found a way to make his presence known with the Gophers.
The sixth-year running back has become a staple in the Minnesota record book, but also one of the main faces and personalities of the program.
It all began with a touchdown celebration, the wave.
“I play a lot of video games, and would play a lot at the park with my friends in NBA 2K and that’s the celebration,” Smith said. “So before the Illinois game in 2016, I was playing around with my teammates and I did the wave, and then it became a thing.”
Smith missed the majority of the 2018 season with an injury and it was a tough adjustment not being on the field. But his teammates made sure he was still there somehow, with the wave.
“Mohamed (Ibrahim) kind of paid homage to me for being injured, and that was his way of honoring me for not playing. Daniel (Faalele) did it too when he scored in the spring game,” Smith said. “Seeing how much they cared about me to go back and watch old games and bring up old touchdown celebrations, it made me feel good and a part of the team.”
Smith made his long-awaited return to the field this year, and while he’s left the wave behind, he’s taken on a new persona.
He now rocks a red hair and once against it is derived from a video game. It’s a tribute to Shadow the Hedgehog, a character that closely emulates Smith’s journey at Minnesota.
“Shadow the Hedgehog is the forgotten one,” he said. “Not that I'm forgotten, but being hurt, taking a step away from football, that was just a guide or a cartoon that I looked to, to help inspire me through my rehab. And I just really enjoy watching him, because he was made on accident. Nobody ever really gave him a chance to be as good as Sonic.”
I take pride in my priority to get out and go to the local barber shops, the local grocery stores, and to make relationships. It’s helped me to transition into a young man coming all the way from Georgia, and it made me feel at home.
Smith is getting his chance now. In Minnesota’s victory against Maryland, Smith wrote himself into the record books with a 1-yard touchdown. That one yard helped him push past Darrell Thompson for the most all-purpose yards in school history and he now stands alone in school history with 5,117.
While his personality and statistics speak for themselves, Smith said he most enjoys what he’s been able to do behind the scenes at Minnesota, in his adopted community.
“I take pride in my priority to get out and go to the local barber shops, the local grocery stores, and to make relationships with people at restaurants,” Smith said. “It’s helped me to transition into a young man coming all the way from Georgia, and it made me feel at home.”
Gallery: Rodney Smith
