Bertrand Hunter Smyers (March 1872 – June 18, 1953) was an attorney and, along with fellow student John Scott, founder of the University of Pittsburgh's football program.

[1] Born in March 1872 in Marion Center, Pennsylvania, Smyers attended Bucknell University when it was a college preparatory school during his senior year of 1888-89.

He and senior student John Scott assembled a football team of which only three of the players had previously witnessed the sport.

Smyers made himself quarterback and Scott was the center and one informal game was played, a loss to Shadyside Academy in 1889.

[4] The following season saw Smyers suffer a broken nose in a 40-6 losing effort against Washington and Jefferson and the team finished 2-5 with wins over Western Pennsylvania Medical College, which became affiliated with WUP in 1892 and later merged with the University in 1908 to become its medical school,[5] and Geneva College, who WUP lost two other contests to that same season.

[4] Perhaps the most important development for the second season of football had been Smyers recruitment of Joeseph Trees from Normal University of Pennsylvania, who at 210 pounds became WUP's first subsidized athlete.

[6] Later in life, Trees made millions in the oil industry and became an important benefactor for the University and athletic department.

He is Bert Smyers, attorney, member of the Ohio State Game committee, working to enthuse the followers of the Panthers for the trip to Columbus, Nov. 15.

Keen of eye and hard of muscle, though somewhat heavier, Pitt's first quarterback is knee deep in the present campaign, as enthused as he was that fall 41 years ago.

Forty one years ago this fall Smyers, a youth weighing 131 pounds, but hard as nails, arrived at the union station from Marion Center, Indiana County.

We played the teams of this section, colleges, prep schools, clubs, etc...."Smyers was married to Flora Bell Hays, on 20 July 1898 at Allegheny.

Although writing doggerel is one of his hobbies, BERT H. SMYERS, a member of the Rotary Club of Pittsburgh, Pa., keeps more active physically than many men half his age.

Last August, at age 75, he "caught" a game of soft ball at a Rotary picnic, played three sets of tennis, won a prize in a horse-shoe pitching contest, and won another prize in a waltz contest on the dance floor that evening.