[1] During the 1935 football season, Smith posed for the Heisman Trophy study with the now-iconic straight or "stiff" arm.
[2][3] Sculptor Frank Eliscu asked Smith, his former high school classmate, to pose for a commissioned work involving a football player.
A documentary filmmaker tracked down Smith through his brother-in-law, Bob Pastor, a former heavyweight boxer who fought Joe Louis twice.
Smith was what sportswriters used to refer to as a triple-threat: he ran, passed and often quick-kicked in New York University's single-wing offense during the 1933–1935 seasons.
His ligament injury returned while playing in Green Bay and Smith left professional sports.