Credit: Associated Press
History forgot Tony Smith long ago. Brushed away remnants of his career. Two decades after his last NFL game, he is the answer to a trivia question. A thin Google search. A bust.
His incidental role in the Green Bay Packers' resurrection grew with time. Subconsciously, you have thought about Tony Smith often. You have thanked the football gods for his existence. You just don't know it.
The man on the wrong side of a franchise-altering trade doesn't get glory. He gets grief. Regret could have crushed him. Bitterness could have sprouted. Somehow, Tony Smith embraced his footnote in Packers lore.