STADIUMS AT A GLANCE Today: Bruce Smith Field
Location: North Alexander Park in Faribault
Tonight's game: 7 p.m., Bethlehem Academy (Faribault) against Randolph
Namesake: Bruce Smith, a Faribault native, is the only Gophers football player to win the Heisman Trophy (1941). The field is used by both Faribault High School, his alma mater, and Bethlehem Academy.
"The ironic thing is he never played on that field," said Bruce Krinkie, organizer of the annual Bruce Smith Golf Classic, a fundraiser for the town's public and private high schools and the Minnesota State Academy for the Deaf. First held in 1975, the event has raised tens of thousands of dollars for the three Faribault schools.
The field was dedicated after Smith's death from cancer in 1967, Krinkie said. It was likely built a few years before his death.
Krinkie said ESPN was in town this week filming a segment on athletes who are military veterans for its "Outside the Lines" program. Smith, a big, shifty running back who led the Gophers to national championships in 1940 and 1941, served in the Navy during World War II.
In 1977, he became the first Gophers player to have his jersey (No. 54) retired.
