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Harry Smith

Guard

Inducted 1955

Date of Birth

8/26/1918

Birthplace

Russellville, MO

School

University of Southern California (1937-1939)

Bio

Harry Smith was only a teenager when he went to the movies in Ontario, California, one afternoon in 1931. The featured attraction? Highlights of Southern California's 16-14 upset victory over Notre Dame. This, said Smith, made him dream of someday playing for Southern California. He enrolled there in 1936, was freshman football captain in 1937 and a three-year starter at guard on the varsity. He anchored the line on USC Rose Bowl squads after the 1938 and 1939 seasons, earning All-America honors each year. The 1938 team finished 9-2-0 and defeated Duke, 7-3, in the Rose Bowl. The next season, the Trojans finished 8-0-2, and the record included a 14-0 Rose Bowl conquest of Tennessee. Southern Cal beat Notre Dame in each of those seasons-by a 13-0 score in 1938 and a 20-12 margin in 1939. Following graduation, Smith served as an assistant coach at Missouri and Southern Cal before becoming head coach of the Canadian Football League's team in Saskatchewan.