University of Minnesota Athletics

Bruce Smith - M Club Hall of Fame

Bruce Smith
Football, 1939-41
HOF Class of 1991

Bruce Smith, Minnesota’s first Heisman Trophy winner, grew up in Faribault, MN. Like his father, Lucius, he was a star U of M halfback. Three times in 1940 alone, Smith scored game-winning touchdowns, including a now-famous 80-yard weak-side reverse in mud and rain that beat Michigan, 7-6. 

An injured Smith begged to come in late in a 1941 game against Iowa; he did, and passed or ran for every Minnesota touchdown in a 34-13 win.

A triple-threat tailback, Smith epitomized the single-wing offense. In 1941, the team captain led the Gophers to their second consecutive undefeated season and national championship.

The summer after graduating, the All-American halfback was MVP in the College All-Star game against the Chicago Bears. The next year, before military service in WWII, he starred in the Hollywood movie "Smith of Minnesota," about a small-town family whose son becomes an All-American halfback.

A Navy fighter pilot, Smith played service football for the Great Lake Navy team. Returning home in 1945, he played four seasons in the NFL for the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams, but injuries dogged him. He nearly died in 1947, suffering a ruptured kidney during a Chicago Bears game, and retired at age 29.

Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1972, and in 1977, became the first Minnesota player to have his number (54) retired.