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Radiance Technologies Independence Bowl officials are celebrating 50 years of competition this year, and they’re doing it in a big way.
The organization is releasing the top 50 all-time players in I-Bowl history, and they’ve been releasing them in five-player increments. But now that the All-Time list has reached the Top 20, the individual athletes are receiving stand-alone stories. The athlete residing at No. 20 is two-time I-Bowler Brad Smith of Missouri, a quarterback who competed but lost the 2003 I-Bowl, then passed and rushed his way to a 2005 I-Bowl victory.
The list was voted on by a local panel of media members, including the Shreveport Times, and I-Bowl representatives.
Here is the I-Bowl’s take on Smith and his success in both Shreveport and beyond.
"Smith starred for Missouri in both the 2003 and 2005 I-Bowls under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Gary Pinkel. In his first appearance in 2003 against Arkansas, Smith passed for 155 yards and rushed for 107 yards, while throwing one interception and rushing for one TD. The Tigers fell to the Razorbacks, 27-14, in the 2003 I-Bowl.
"His next appearance was much more fortuitous, as he led Missouri to a 38-31 victory over Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks in 2005. Smith exploded in the game — passing for 282 yards, rushing for 150 yards and scoring four total TDs on his way to being named the 2005 Offensive Player of the Game. His 150 rushing yards in 2005 are still the most rushing yards by a quarterback in an I-Bowl, and his 432 yards of individual total offense in 2005 still rank second all-time in a single I-Bowl — behind Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig’s 447 yards in the 1996 bowl.
SEC SEC: Three SEC players highlight I-Bowl’s All-Time team Nos. 31-35
TOOMBS ARRIVES: Ja’Mar Toombs, Rocky Calmus shine in latest I-Bowl All-Time group
LSU BOWL: LSU, A&M, BYU athletes highlight second I-Bowl All-Time group
"As one of the few skill position players to start in two I-Bowls, Smith was easily one of the most-productive players in the game’s history. Combining his 2003 and 2005 performances, he amassed 432 passing yards, 257 rushing yards and five total TDs against two interceptions.
"Smith had a decorated career at Missouri, where he started four straight years and never missed a start. During his redshirt freshman season in 2002, Smith set the record for most rushing yards by a freshman quarterback in Division 1-A history (1,029). That helped propel him to being named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and earning first-team Freshman All-American honors. The best season of his career was his senior season in 2005, when he passed for 2,304 yards, rushed for 1,301 yards and contributed 29 total TDs. He was named first-team All-Big 12 that season.
"Throughout his four years as a starter in Columbia, Smith rushed for over 1,000 three times and was a part of 102 touchdowns between passing, rushing and receiving. Among his many accolades and records, he was the first player in Division 1-A (now FBS) history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season twice in a career. He was also the first player in Division 1-A history to pass for over 8,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in a career. He tops career marks in the Missouri record book for rushing yards and total yards.
"Smith was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, with plans to use him as a quarterback, wide receiver and running back. While never becoming a star in the pros, he established a successful career as an offensive and special teams weapon, playing nine seasons in the NFL as a wildcat quarterback, wide receiver and returner. Over the course of his career, he compiled 972 rushing yards, 987 receiving yards, 2,879 return yards and 14 total TDs."
Players were nominated and evaluated based on the following criteria: 40% weight on their I-Bowl performance; 30% on their college career; 30% on their pro career and accomplishments.
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Former Missouri QB Brad Smith is No. 20 on I-Bowl’s all-time list
Continue reading...
The organization is releasing the top 50 all-time players in I-Bowl history, and they’ve been releasing them in five-player increments. But now that the All-Time list has reached the Top 20, the individual athletes are receiving stand-alone stories. The athlete residing at No. 20 is two-time I-Bowler Brad Smith of Missouri, a quarterback who competed but lost the 2003 I-Bowl, then passed and rushed his way to a 2005 I-Bowl victory.
The list was voted on by a local panel of media members, including the Shreveport Times, and I-Bowl representatives.
Here is the I-Bowl’s take on Smith and his success in both Shreveport and beyond.
"Smith starred for Missouri in both the 2003 and 2005 I-Bowls under College Football Hall of Fame head coach Gary Pinkel. In his first appearance in 2003 against Arkansas, Smith passed for 155 yards and rushed for 107 yards, while throwing one interception and rushing for one TD. The Tigers fell to the Razorbacks, 27-14, in the 2003 I-Bowl.
"His next appearance was much more fortuitous, as he led Missouri to a 38-31 victory over Steve Spurrier’s South Carolina Gamecocks in 2005. Smith exploded in the game — passing for 282 yards, rushing for 150 yards and scoring four total TDs on his way to being named the 2005 Offensive Player of the Game. His 150 rushing yards in 2005 are still the most rushing yards by a quarterback in an I-Bowl, and his 432 yards of individual total offense in 2005 still rank second all-time in a single I-Bowl — behind Auburn quarterback Dameyune Craig’s 447 yards in the 1996 bowl.
SEC SEC: Three SEC players highlight I-Bowl’s All-Time team Nos. 31-35
TOOMBS ARRIVES: Ja’Mar Toombs, Rocky Calmus shine in latest I-Bowl All-Time group
LSU BOWL: LSU, A&M, BYU athletes highlight second I-Bowl All-Time group
"As one of the few skill position players to start in two I-Bowls, Smith was easily one of the most-productive players in the game’s history. Combining his 2003 and 2005 performances, he amassed 432 passing yards, 257 rushing yards and five total TDs against two interceptions.
"Smith had a decorated career at Missouri, where he started four straight years and never missed a start. During his redshirt freshman season in 2002, Smith set the record for most rushing yards by a freshman quarterback in Division 1-A history (1,029). That helped propel him to being named the Big 12 Offensive Freshman of the Year and earning first-team Freshman All-American honors. The best season of his career was his senior season in 2005, when he passed for 2,304 yards, rushed for 1,301 yards and contributed 29 total TDs. He was named first-team All-Big 12 that season.
"Throughout his four years as a starter in Columbia, Smith rushed for over 1,000 three times and was a part of 102 touchdowns between passing, rushing and receiving. Among his many accolades and records, he was the first player in Division 1-A (now FBS) history to pass for 2,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in a single season twice in a career. He was also the first player in Division 1-A history to pass for over 8,000 yards and rush for over 4,000 yards in a career. He tops career marks in the Missouri record book for rushing yards and total yards.
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"Smith was selected in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft by the New York Jets, with plans to use him as a quarterback, wide receiver and running back. While never becoming a star in the pros, he established a successful career as an offensive and special teams weapon, playing nine seasons in the NFL as a wildcat quarterback, wide receiver and returner. Over the course of his career, he compiled 972 rushing yards, 987 receiving yards, 2,879 return yards and 14 total TDs."
Players were nominated and evaluated based on the following criteria: 40% weight on their I-Bowl performance; 30% on their college career; 30% on their pro career and accomplishments.
Jimmy Watson covers Louisiana sports for the USA TODAY Network. Email him at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @JimmyWatson6.
This article originally appeared on Shreveport Times: Former Missouri QB Brad Smith is No. 20 on I-Bowl’s all-time list
Continue reading...
