When I last saw Earl Smith Jr. at the inaugural Gary Sports Hall of Fame ceremony, it looked like he could still strap on a pair of shoulder pads and line up at running back. He was 87.
Smith was lean and fit with a strong handshake. Smith’s presence always changed the room when he arrived. He was a cut above.
Smith was athletic royalty in a city that adored their sports heroes. A football, basketball and track star at Roosevelt, Smith left Gary for five years to attend college at the University of Iowa. He returned to Gary with his degree and never left. Smith died on Thursday. He was 90.
Hutton: Smith leaves indelible athletic legacy in Gary
