The Miami Herald from Miami, Florida • 632

-7 7 rn i i tttv 7-e too rt 7 T7-7 T7 7 7f 1 -rwrw 9 6D The Miami Herald Sunday April 30 199 Questions about Smith? Not in Zellwood rT'r'Y WV 5 fft? 4I1- tables 35 to 40 hours a week used to tell him it was good for his arms shoulders and chest" said Doris Apparently it was In ninth grade Sammie played offensive guard and linebacker because he was the biggest kid on his junior high team He played safety as a sophomore then became a starting tailback the following season a funny thing for me to hear people say Sammie's not tough said Joiner former defensive coordinator seen him knock people As a junior Smith rushed for 1485 yards and 23 touchdowns in leading Apopka to a 10-1 record On the first snap of the season Smith took a pitchout from quarterback Rodney Brewer and raced 80 yards for a touchdown Within a year he had everyone from Bo Schembech-ler and Bobby Bowden to Galen Hall and Jimmy Johnson blazing into Zellwood to rap on his front door His senior season numbers slipped to 1019 yards and 16 touchdowns but he missed two full games and most of a third with a sprained ankle as Apopka went 9-2 toughness and durability were never questioned then because he was hurt only once in three years at Apopka In three years at Florida State Smith missed five games with leg shoulder and rib injuries In 1987 he missed six con- secutive Tuesday practices How hard did Smith practice in high school? hard as you wanted him Gierke said ankle injury at Apopka did nothing to slow the avalanche of recruiters in the fall of 1984 In the middle of one practice Gierke recalls Bobby Bowden arrived in a sheriffs car accompanied by three other law enforcement vehicles with sirens blaring and Florida State flags flapping in the wind Said Doris postman told us to get another box just for Sammie" Less than a mile from the Smith home in Zellwood a rural community of 1760 sits one of the busiest crack houses in Orange County arrest them as fast as we can pull them out of said Jim Solomons public information officer for the Orange County Office In high school Sammie was more effective at eluding crack dealers than rushing linebackers The former never caught him Sammie also won over teachers and coaches with his work in the classroom he was a high-C low-B student and his down-to-earth demeanor was an outstanding kid the All-American boy like to call your own said former Apopka principal Larry Payne was' very humble On a recent afternoon at SMITH from ID he had excellent track workouts Typically he would do 1V4 times more than any- one else" Part of workouts included 10 sprints up a 200-meter hill behind the school Smith would run the hill 20 times Another part included pulling two tractor tires through a series of 40-yard sprints Smith would pull four tires he was still faster than anybody else" Joiner said After school Smith would don a pair of army boots and chase down rabbits on a nearby muck farm Then he would run wind sprints in the sandy orange groves behind his house would do whatever you asked him to then always do said Joiner 33 now an assistant principal at Apopka never Sammie 22 the oldest of three brothers grew up in a family of hard workers His father Sam 42 is a foreman at a produce shipping dock his mother Doris 38 is a aide Before Sammie got to high school Doris made him do his own laundry iron his own shirts mow the lawn rake the leaves In the summer Sammie worked at the dock with his father unloading 60- and 70-pound crates of vege Pub while lunching on a taco salad roast beef sandwich and iced tea! two men who work at Zell win Farms were discussing the that dogs Sammie Charley Kennedy 38 said Sammie was the victim of a Tom Youngs 38 intimated that Sammie was protecting himself so he could make it to the NFL in one piece said Kennedy a 1973 FSU graduate There were times that Sammie play when healthy because he needed just had so much talent at running Youngs a University of Florida fan so sure At this point Kennedy usually trots out the following numbers to silence the Gator debater: FSU 52 Florida 17 in 1988 Smith gains 109 yards scores two touchdowns FSU 28 Florida 14 in 1987 Smith gains 116 yards But this time Kennedy have to Youngs changed directions and began talking about talent his drug-free reputation and the way he pulled himself out of Zellwood to make a national name for himself Then reflecting the prevailing attitude of this community Youngs delivered an unexpected zinger he said enough class that he could have been a 'vT l-'l vv 7 It 3 -4 S- United Press International How hard did Sammie Smith practice? hard as you wanted him says high school coach Chip Gierke Shula-Gibbs approach Virtually Vandal Proof! WE DELIVER! Use it immediately Mini storagi on your own property THE ULTIMATE ANSWER TO' YOUR STORAGE PROBLEM ALL STEEL CONSTRUCTION SUPER STRONG FLOORS NO SITE PREPARATION REQUIRED DADE: 8224080 TOLL FREE 1(800)543-8430 sfojsi fy JSV5 vt Ken Denlinger Washington Post and a No 1 in 1990 for the second-best runner in the Atlanta backfield might have Falcons officials suspicious about other trade deficits in Washington The Redskins have done this sort of draft-choices-for-veterans thing before and the results did not match the anticipation The Saints were given a first-rounder for George Rogers in April 1985 and he gained 1093 yards his first season here But the 1985 record (10-6) was a game worse than the year before they also failed to make the playoffs and surrendered more points than they allowed Rogers became the fifth most productive Redskins runner with 2909 career yards in three seasons But the other first-round draftees by General Manager Bobby Be-athard (Art Monk Darrell Green and Mark May) have given high-quality service far longer than Rogers did With the addition of free-agent linebacker Wilber Marshall the Redskins seemed capable last season of repeating as Super Bowl champions Instead they dropped to 7-9 the last of two first-round installments to the Bears was made Sunday Gibbs and Shula know that in football possession is even more than nine-tenths of the law they are betting that Riggs and Smith will increase their ball-control time dra wants to limit the number of bowls entitled to use Jan 1 (now seven) ensure against schools being shorted on payoffs (it has happened with some smaller bowls) and possibly even set up minimum records for bowl participation (say seven victories) trying to do things the NCAA says Hatchell Say Mont I love you and win a dinner for two! Send a Classified greeting to mother wife grandmother or that other important "mom you want to remember on Mother 's Day For only $225 per line you can place a personal greeting in your own words And maybe win a dinner for two da restaurant of your choice (no purchase necessary see rules below) Decorate your ad with a large rose or heart for $3150 Or three smaller hearts for just $675 And your ad can look like this: WASHINGTON During the National Football annual guessfest two smart coaches acted in a way that seemed dumb even to more than casual fans With statistically awful defenses Don Shula and Joe Gibbs each opted to improve his offense This was contrary to rational thought in most businesses and very likely jolted a few traditionalists within the generally stodgy coaching fraternity If your hand is bleeding for instance would you insist that your foot be wrapped? If the mail fails to get delivered do angry citizens demand a new police chief? Cars with a flat tire do not suddenly speed away if the only change is a spark plug Sport is different The best teams often thrive by being dominant enough in one area to overcome some other fairly ordinary phase why Shula and Gibbs could make their defenses better by maneuvering for running backs Shula used the ninth pick in the draft to grab Sammie Smith for the Dolphins later he did some swapping and gave a lift to the defense in the more accepted manner by taking secondary standout Louis Oliver with the 25th pick of the first round Redskins faithful had been prepared for something similar from Gibbs He had all but scooted up the Washington Monument and announced that he absolutely had to have a big-time big back Noboby needed to buy any vowels to know the winning name on his wheel of fortune would be Gerald Riggs That may have driven the price up a whole lot A No 2 pick this season works what it seemed to cost to largely rearrange the special-teams furniture Gone from the Redskins in the half-baked effort at free agency are such as Steve Gage Derrick Shepard and Steve Hamilton arriving are two centers two tight ends two cornerbacks two linebackers and one coach Wayne Sevier Around the league the Cowboys had a chance to get lots better in a hurry but decided otherwise Choosing the near-awesome Tony Man-darich and letting him escort Her-schel Walker downfield might have been frightening Steve Pelluer is a decent enough quarterback and only turns 29 early in training camp The Cowboys instead took a kid quarterback with immense ability who might not be a factor until Walker starts to fade None of the other NFC East teams improved enough to cause Gibbs more than normal concern after going 4-4 in the division last season A team that ought to attract more than mild intrigue is Detroit which may be known as the Mouseketeers if that run-and-shoot offense of Mouse Davis clicks The Lions revamped their coaching staff played the free-agent game with as much spirit and cunning as anyone and drafted a smallish runner (Barry Sanders) whose last season was as none other in college history Like the Redskins and Dolphins and most other teams hoping to get better in a hurry the Lions plan to hit the season opener running Listen Once a bowl goes it will never return In the words of old Gus in Lonesome Dove once that happens gone on down the river and you call it College presidents and athletic directors had better give it their best thought If they see through the supercilious power play who will? matically next season and keep those vulnerable defenses out of way on the bench The Redskins were a pathetic 12th in the NFC and 25th in the league in rushing last season they were 13th in the NFC and 26th in the league in points allowed they were first in the NFC and second in the league in passing What that suggests is that although quarterback might be the most important position in football passingoften is an overrated stat A safe inexorable ground game (along with more Chip Lohmiller consistency) makes everybody else better In dictionary boring is a synonymn for victory With Riggs and his new H-back sidekick Earnest Byner the Redskins are hoping to run lots and lots of time off the clock Six-plus years to be as close to exact as possible back to those Riggo-roaring games of late 1982 and nearly all of 1983 except the ending the Super Bowl bust against the Raiders Maybe Gibbs need so many sleepovers at Redskin Park now How much time does it take to figure out whether to run Riggs inside the left tackle (Jim Lachey) or inside the right tackle (Joe Jacoby)? The flying wedge might be illegal the furrowing wedge is Redskin football If former Brown Byner and former Redskin Mike Oliphant keep from fumbling at vital times their trade will be a fine one for both teams In addition to one promising player (Oliphant) and two high draft choices the Redskins spent something on the order of $87 zillion to bring back glory the NCAA would assume some regulatory status trying to formulate policies the NCAA would adopt and enforce anything but that way right First and foremost though in the incredible effrontery comes its casual backhanding of bowls that have given so much for so little personal profit Mommie MOMMY NANA We Love Gus Suzte HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY Thanks for my breakfast! Thanks for my lunch! Thanks for my clothes! Thanks for a whole bunch1 Daniel Nicole DEADLINE is Thursday May 11 500 pm Place your ad during business hours by calling: DADE: 350-2222 Broward: 524-2535 Outside Dade Broward: 1-800-678-CLAS RULES FOR SPRING BOUQUET DRAWING Drawing will be held on Friday May 12 Winners notified by phone Employees of Miami Herald Publishing Company not eligible No purchase necessary Anyone placing a Mother Day ad is automatically entered Others may enter by sending their name address and daytime phone number on a postcard to The Miami Herald 1 Herald Plaza Miami FL 33132-1693 ATTN: Mother's Day Drawing To Mom With Love Day Greeting Pages Arrogant CFA threatens bowls with playoffs MIAMI HERALD DADE 350-2222 BROWARD1 cp ococ OUTSIDE DADE BROWARD: 1-800-678-2527 POPE from ID bowls are already moving in that direction and the Rose Bowl is way ahead of it for one Hatchell happens to chair the progressive new Football Bowl Association comprising all postseason games The organization is dedicated to raising its own standards It INSTANT STORAGE HhkICE Dearest DEAR MOM Roses are red Violets are blue No one is sweeter than you Love Millie MARKETPLACE Owned Sponsored by: 6th ANNUAL FORT LAUDERD BAHIA MAR RESORT YACHTING CENTER Featuring over 300 power sail fishing and skiing boats on display both in-water and on-land a special brokerage boat section and a wide variety of marine related equipment and accessories Help christen the new floating cocktail barge Thursday May 4th at with "Singles Night at the Boat Show" featuring fun games and music from the 50's Enjoy daily fishing and windsurfing seminars and fashion shows This is your perfect opportunity to price and buy that boat of your dreams in time for a summer season on the water SHOW HOURS Thursday May 4 Noon -10 pm Friday May 5 Noon -10 pm Saturday May 6 10 am -10 pm Sunday May 7 10 am 6 pm Parking at Port Everglades is $200 A free shuttle bus will run continuously between Port Everglades and the Boat Show beginning one hour before the Show opens and ending one hour after the Show closes each day For Information call 3057S4-7642 Produced Managed by: Yachting Promotions Inc 115 NE 9th Avenue Ft Lauderdale FL 33304 £1989 Show Management Inc.