Polson grad brought into Bobcat Hall of Fame

BOZEMAN — Polson’s Neal Smith was known more for his basketball abilities when in high school, but now he will forever be remembered as one of the best football players in the history of Montana State University.

Smith was inducted to the Montana State Athletic Hall of Fame at a banquet on Sept. 13.

“I certainly didn’t expect it,” said Smith, a man remembered for his humility. “I was obviously very happy, and it was a wonderful weekend.”

When former MSU defensive line coach Butch Damberger called Smith to let him know he had been selected, Smith didn’t believe him.

“He’s such a humble individual, at first he was like, ‘Really?’” Damberger said. “He thought I was playing a joke on him. … That was Neal. He’s just a very quiet, unassuming, very humble individual.”

On the gridiron, Smith was anything but unassuming. His 35.5 sacks is still second most in school history, and he was selected first-team All-Big Sky Conference and All-American in 1997, his senior season.

Smith also has the eighth most tackles in school history, but that isn’t what Damberger remembered about the former defensive end.

“He was the kind of kid you respect because, although he loved football, it wasn’t his entire life,” Damberger said, saying that Smith was very serious about his schoolwork.

After college, Smith was invited to camp with the Washington Redskins but was cut after the third preseason game. He then wound up in Florida at a tryout where he was noticed by Canadian Football League scouts.

Soon after, the Saskatchewan Rough Riders had signed him. Smith was an all-star in the only season he spent in the CFL. He quit after the 1999 season due to injuries.

“I don’t think it would have gone anywhere because my body was pretty beat up already, and I was never big enough,” Smith said. “I had the skill, but I was never a really strong player.”

Strength was always Smith’s bugaboo, he said. He remembers being unable to put on weight in his first few years in Bozeman because he kept getting sick.

Smith’s athletic ability more than compensated for his relative lack of size, though.

“I remember when we were recruiting him, we saw that he was the MVP of the state basketball tournament [Smith and the Pirates won the 1993 Class A state basketball title] and we just saw how athletic he was,” Damberger recalled. “So we went on him hard on the idea that we thought the athleticism was there. … He was obviously undersized.”

Smith turned his disadvantage into an asset.

“I was just really creative with pass rush moves,” he said. “I could get completely clear and get shots at the quarterback.”

Of all the sacks and tackles he made as a Bobcat, one of Smith’s most singular memories comes from his short time on offense at tight end. He caught a touchdown pass in 1997’s 27-25 loss to Montana.

He said that his induction is a capstone to a career in Bozeman that was one of the highlights of his life.

“I just absolutely loved my time here and appreciated the opportunity.”

Smith and his family recently moved back to Bozeman from California.