Television: Inspired by a moonlit Minnesota night

During Robert Smith's short but sweet NFL career, he displayed Mercury-swift moves that fans swore were out of this world.

Smith knows better. He's seen things beyond our planet more impressive than a 99-yard touchdown run.

The former Viking is one of several amateur astronomers, including Minneapolis musician Michael Koppelman, featured in the documentary "Seeing in the Dark," which premieres tonight on PBS.

"I love looking at the Andromeda Galaxy, which seems so close, but it's three million light-years away," Smith said during a phone interview last week from his home in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. "It's theoretically possible that beings 2 million years from now will see us walking around through light cones still traveling out, even though we'll be long gone. It gives you a real sense of humility."

Humility is a rare commodity in professional football, but Smith always went against the grain in a career that stretched from being named Ohio's outstanding high school player twice to leading the NFC in rushing during his last season with the Vikings in early 2001.

When he wasn't studying the playbook, Smith had his head buried in some other pages, often dealing with astronomy, said former teammate Mike Morris.

"He always had a big, thick book," said Morris, who now hosts KFAN's morning show. "That was a little out of the ordinary."

Smith said he became obsessed with space during his time with the Vikings. He had been interested in astronomy as a kid, but could only afford to explore the stars through library books. One evening, as a Viking, he was fishing on a Minnesota lake, when a beautiful quarter moon lit up the sky.

"It hit me at that moment, 'Hey, I can afford a telescope now,'" he said.

Soon his computer had a link to the Hubble telescope's image of the month. He dug through Sky & Telescope magazine the way we mere mortals treat Us Weekly. He would take his new telescope to training camp. Next summer, he and his wife plan to visit China so they can get a stellar view of a total solar eclipse.

Smith wrote about his hobby in his 2004 autobiography, "The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider's View on the World of Sport and Celebrity."

Science writer Timothy Ferris was impressed with the athlete's passion and when he decided to film an adaptation of his book "Seeing in the Dark," he called on Smith.

"When you do interviews with people you don't really know, you're taking a bit of a chance," Ferris said. "But Robert really emerged as one of the stars of this film. He's a real standup guy."

That's not how a lot of Vikings fans saw Smith when he walked away from the game in his prime with no apologies and no explanations. Smith, who hinted at returning a couple of times in the past six years, said he still believes he made the right move.

"I got out just in time," said Smith, who is now 35. "With the condition of my right knee, I probably wouldn't have been able to finish another season."

Morris, the Vikings long snapper from 1991-99, said he wasn't surprised by Smith's decision.

"He's the kind of guy who understood that you can't play forever," he said. "Running backs just get hammered. I think he was happy to walk away with reasonably good health."

Smith still has a stake in football, providing commentary for ESPN and coaching a high-school team in Florida. He's also developing a software program that would provide athletes guidance for proper diet and health care.

But he'd be willing to once again put on a uniform, as long as it's an astronaut suit.

"I'd jump at the opportunity to go into space," he said. "But it costs about $20 million. My business would have to do really well in the next few years for me to afford it."

njustin@startribune.com • 612-673-7431

Neal Justin • njustin@startribune.com