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<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#3333FF">Tiger Flashback</FONT> </H1>

<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Zeke Smith
</I></FONT></H3>
<center>By Ryan Powell</center><P>
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<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Ryan Powell</I></FONT></H3>
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<p>Auburn head coach Ralph Jordan's father was a railroad man, and it just so happened that Zeke Smith's father, was a railroad man as well.
<p>Smith admits that if it were not for his father's friendship with coach Jordan's father, he may not have ever stepped onto a football field wearing an Auburn University uniform.
<p>The high school fullback was not considered a prized recruit coming out of Uniontown, Ala., a small cotton mill town with a population of less than 2,000 in Perry County.
<p>"Not many players came to Auburn and Alabama from out-of-state back when I played," Smith said. "So, most of us smaller-town guys would get overlooked during recruiting in favor of guys from the big towns."
<p>Even though Smith's athletic ability might have been overlooked, his father's friendship gave him the chance to wear the burnt orange and navy blue and prove that he belonged in the SEC.
<p>The 6-foot-2 line-backing guard did more than prove he belonged in the SEC Ð he left a legacy on Auburn football that will last throughout the years.
<p>Smith said he couldn't have asked for much more during his playing days at Auburn and if one looks back on the career he had, there is not much more he could have accomplished.
<p>As a sophomore in 1957, Smith was a starter for Auburn's lone national championship team.
The 1957 team had to suffer through adversity before the season started as its starting quarterback and fullback were both kicked off the squad.
<p>"We were ranked real low. I think some people picked us to finish eleventh in the SEC," Smith said. "No one rated us high because of the suspensions to two of our key ball players. Not many people had much hope for us."
The team persevered and concluded the season with a 40-0 triumph over the Alabama Crimson Tide to end the season with an undefeated record of 10-0.
<p>It wasn't until 1958 that Smith's individual accomplishments started to reach the national spotlight.
The 1958 team went 9-0-1 and Smith won the Outland Trophy Award for the nation's outstanding lineman and earned All-America honors.
<p>The award ceremony for the trophy is held in New York City and it was the first time for Smith to leave the South.
"I had never seen that many tall buildings and people in my life," Smith said. "I was just shocked by it all. I was ready to get back to Auburn."
<p>Smith didn't leave New York without creating a laugh at the ceremony though, as he accepted the Outland Trophy by saying, "Thank you gentlemen for this Heisman Trophy Ð I mean, Outland Award."
<p>The idea of Smith winning the Heisman Trophy wasn't too far-fetched of an idea, as he did receive votes for the award. Auburn's Sports Information Director at the time, Bill Beckwith, gave Smith the idea to accept the award in the humorous way that he did because lineman are rarely considered for the prestigious award.
<p>"Winning the Outland Award was something I couldn't believe," Smith said. "It meant everything to me because as a ball player, you work to be the best at your position."
<p>The iron-man played both sides of the ball as most people did back in the 1950s, but it was defense that Smith enjoyed the most.
<p>"Defense is easier and more fun than offense," Smith said. "Playing guard, all you do is go forward and block somebody. On defense, you get to hit people and tackle them."
<p>Almost 30 years later, Smith's name is etched into the Auburn history books and is also on an award of its own. The Zeke Smith Award is given annually to the Auburn Defensive Player of the Year.
<p>"It's a great honor to have an award named after me," Smith said. "It gives me a chance to come back to the place I love and spend time with the Auburn family."

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<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>&copy; 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>

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	<H1 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#3333FF">Tiger Flashback</FONT> </H1>

	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>Zeke Smith
	</I></FONT></H3>
	<center>By Ryan Powell</center><P>
	<!--
	<H3 ALIGN=CENTER><FONT COLOR="#FF8000"><I>By Ryan Powell</I></FONT></H3>
	-->


	<TABLE ALIGN=RIGHT CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 WIDTH=152>
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	<TD><IMG SRC="tigflash.jpg" ALT="Zeke Smith" BORDER=2 ALIGN=RIGHT>
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	<p>


	<p>Auburn head coach Ralph Jordan's father was a railroad man, and it just so happened that Zeke Smith's father, was a railroad man as well.
	<p>Smith admits that if it were not for his father's friendship with coach Jordan's father, he may not have ever stepped onto a football field wearing an Auburn University uniform.
	<p>The high school fullback was not considered a prized recruit coming out of Uniontown, Ala., a small cotton mill town with a population of less than 2,000 in Perry County.
	<p>"Not many players came to Auburn and Alabama from out-of-state back when I played," Smith said. "So, most of us smaller-town guys would get overlooked during recruiting in favor of guys from the big towns."
	<p>Even though Smith's athletic ability might have been overlooked, his father's friendship gave him the chance to wear the burnt orange and navy blue and prove that he belonged in the SEC.
	<p>The 6-foot-2 line-backing guard did more than prove he belonged in the SEC Ð he left a legacy on Auburn football that will last throughout the years.
	<p>Smith said he couldn't have asked for much more during his playing days at Auburn and if one looks back on the career he had, there is not much more he could have accomplished.
	<p>As a sophomore in 1957, Smith was a starter for Auburn's lone national championship team.
	The 1957 team had to suffer through adversity before the season started as its starting quarterback and fullback were both kicked off the squad.
	<p>"We were ranked real low. I think some people picked us to finish eleventh in the SEC," Smith said. "No one rated us high because of the suspensions to two of our key ball players. Not many people had much hope for us."
	The team persevered and concluded the season with a 40-0 triumph over the Alabama Crimson Tide to end the season with an undefeated record of 10-0.
	<p>It wasn't until 1958 that Smith's individual accomplishments started to reach the national spotlight.
	The 1958 team went 9-0-1 and Smith won the Outland Trophy Award for the nation's outstanding lineman and earned All-America honors.
	<p>The award ceremony for the trophy is held in New York City and it was the first time for Smith to leave the South.
	"I had never seen that many tall buildings and people in my life," Smith said. "I was just shocked by it all. I was ready to get back to Auburn."
	<p>Smith didn't leave New York without creating a laugh at the ceremony though, as he accepted the Outland Trophy by saying, "Thank you gentlemen for this Heisman Trophy Ð I mean, Outland Award."
	<p>The idea of Smith winning the Heisman Trophy wasn't too far-fetched of an idea, as he did receive votes for the award. Auburn's Sports Information Director at the time, Bill Beckwith, gave Smith the idea to accept the award in the humorous way that he did because lineman are rarely considered for the prestigious award.
	<p>"Winning the Outland Award was something I couldn't believe," Smith said. "It meant everything to me because as a ball player, you work to be the best at your position."
	<p>The iron-man played both sides of the ball as most people did back in the 1950s, but it was defense that Smith enjoyed the most.
	<p>"Defense is easier and more fun than offense," Smith said. "Playing guard, all you do is go forward and block somebody. On defense, you get to hit people and tackle them."
	<p>Almost 30 years later, Smith's name is etched into the Auburn history books and is also on an award of its own. The Zeke Smith Award is given annually to the Auburn Defensive Player of the Year.
	<p>"It's a great honor to have an award named after me," Smith said. "It gives me a chance to come back to the place I love and spend time with the Auburn family."

	<P>
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	<P ALIGN=CENTER><I>© 1999 Auburn Network, Inc.</I></P>

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