Quarterback focuses on fun, excitement on and off field

Robert Henry Becker Arizona Daily Wildcat UA Football quarterback Keith Smith rests during some free time between classes, in the men's lockerroom at McKale Center.

You also may have seen him dashing about Arizona Stadium or running across your television screen, desperately trying to avoid being trampled by men nearly twice his size.

His name is Keith Smith and although he is pressured with the title of Division I quarterback on the field, he is just an average guy off the gridiron.

The 5-foot-11, 202 pound sophomore signal caller describes himself as having two very distinct personalities.

"Off the field I'm just myself," Smith said. "I'll roll out of bed, toss on a hat and go to class. That's who I am. Once I am on the field though, it is hard to be so calm. I am pretty much a crazy madman."

That crazed energy and love for the game is exactly why Smith plays football, as well as the chance to play in big games such as the one tomorrow at nationally ranked Ohio State.

Arizona head coach Dick Tomey said that Smith's energy is a vital part of the team's success.

"Keith brings a lot to this team both on and off the field," Tomey said. "On the field especially, he is so full of energy and the guys really feed off of that."

Smith's arrival at Arizona was delayed by a brief tour of duty in professional baseball.

At the age of 18, Smith signed a minor league contract with the Detroit Tigers, and split time between Bristol and Fayetteville. He quickly realized that professional sports were not all they were cracked up to be and that he was not prepared for that lifestyle.

"I was so young compared to the guys I was playing with and against," Smith said. "I was a teenager who didn't know what to do with himself. Most of the guys were going home to families and I didn't have anybody to hang out with."

After talking the situation over with his parents and his brother, whom Smith considers his strongest influences, he decided it was time to go to college.

Which was a risk at the time since he had asked Arizona to wait on him while he pursued his baseball career and he was unsure if the Wildcats would have room for him.

Smith called then assistant coach Jeff Hammerschmidt, who was on a recruiting trip in Hawaii, and told him he wanted to play UA football.

Hammerschmidt was hesitant to accept Smith's proposal at first, but presented the scenario to Tomey.

Tomey liked the idea and gave Smith a spot on the team. Smith enrolled in the fall of 1995, despite not receiving a scholarship.

NCAA rules state that once an athlete signs a professional contract in any sport, they are not allowed to receive scholarship money in any collegiate sport.

"I was so happy they (Arizona) decided to take me back," Smith said. "The scholarship didn't matter that much to me, I came here to play football and not to mess around."

After his experiences in baseball, Smith began to realize how important it was to play with a real love for what you are doing on the playing field.

"The college experience has given me the chance to see how much I love playing football and competing," he said. "You look at a guy like Michael Jordan in basketball and you see what a love for the game can do for you."

Smith's love for sports came from the first time he set foot on the playing field, although his first experience nearly turned him away from competition altogether.

When he was four years old, Smith played in his first youth soccer game. Not only did he perform well, he recorded a hat trick, scoring three goals in one game. But after each goal, he cried when the crowd cheered because he thought he had done something wrong.

He quit the team after that game and didn't go back. As usual his parents encouraged him to stick with it, as they did with everything he took on in life.

"My parents never put pressure on me," Smith said. "I always put the pressure on myself."

Smith then decided to take up football at the age of six.

In his first game, on his first touch of the ball, he returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown. He went on to score five touchdowns in the game and learned to live with the screams and cheers.

Tomorrow's game should test his growth, as Ohio Stadium packs in close to 100,000 people.

"This is a great opportunity for myself and the team," Smith said. "I just want to go out and have a good game."

That no pressure attitude should help Smith, who has yet to burst out with a huge statistical game.

If he follows the advice given him by his brother, Brian, shortly after the Wildcat's season-opening loss at Oregon, he should be fine.

"Don't hesitate out there," Brian said. "Just go out and play and let Keith Smith show what he can do."

And think about how nice it will feel to put on the flip-flops and red cap after the game.