Q&A: Talking Notre Dame/USC And Tight End Tradition With Irv Smith

This week I had a chance to talk with former Notre Dame great Irv Smith (1989-92), who played tight end for the Irish. Smith was a first-round NFL Draft pick in 1993 and played seven seasons in the NFL.

The purpose of our discussion was to talk about the Notre Dame/USC rivalry, but of course we branched into other topics. We kicked things off talking about why he picked Notre Dame.

Q: Was playing in games like this, the big games, a reason you picked Notre Dame?

Smith: “Going to Notre Dame you knew that … you were going to be on TV every single week that you played. You knew that you were going to play in front of a sell out crowd. But I went to Notre Dame, to be honest with you, because I knew what Notre Dame would do for me in terms of being a Notre Dame man.

“I heard that was the case, and I graduated 26 years ago and I can tell you that one of the great decisions I made in my life career wise and direction of my life was going to play and get my degree from the University of Notre Dame.

“I can honestly tell you, because when I was playing pro ball I would be with a bunch of teammates and we’d be out somewhere to eat and people would ask if we played ball. ‘Yeah, we play for the Saints or the Niners or whatever.’ And the first question was always where did you guys go to college?

“I went to Miami, I went to Michigan, I went to Penn State. I would tell them I went to Notre Dame and they would be like ‘Oh my gosh, you went to Notre Dame!’ It’s true to this very day.

“The second question that gets always asked, it’s just part of the script, is who was your head coach. I laugh and say ‘Lou Holtz’ and at that point it’s like I’m like a rock star because I went to Notre Dame and I played for Lou Holtz. I sit back and laugh because I already know the questions, I already know the answers, it’s like a movie that keeps playing over and over again and I’m so grateful to be a part of that great legacy.”

Q: What makes this such a big rivalry and what are the first things that pop in your head when you think Notre Dame/USC?

Smith: “Tradition is what makes the rivalry so good when you look back at the old games and the big games and last second plays and things like that, that’s what makes today a great game. It wouldn’t be a great game if it wasn’t for the tradition, if it wasn’t for the past.

“The first thing that pops in my head is playing at USC, playing in the Coliseum, because that’s such an iconic place. Playing on the road, for us it was always Thanksgiving weekend. It’s just one of those special weeks. When I was playing, of course, we never lost to USC. We were just so proud of every year, beating them.

“Back then there was no such thing as losing. We have to win this game, and we did.”

Q: That’s right, you were 4-0 against USC …

Smith: “We have the bragging rights of always beating them, but it was never a 20-point win. It was never a blowout. It was always down to the end, we were always both top teams. When I was at Notre Dame to be out of the Top 10 was unheard of for us. I don’t think I ever played a game at Notre Dame not in the Top 10.

“Our expectations, my freshman year we finished 12-1 and No. 2 in the country the year after they won the national championship and it was a deflated season. Our level of expectation was so high because number one the quality of players we had there, and number two the expectations because we were a powerhouse, and certainly have the ability to be a powerhouse because we can recruiting nationally.

“We didn’t recruit locally, we didn’t just recruit the Midwest, I’m from the East Coast and I played with a bunch of guys from the West Coast, and I played with a bunch of guys from the South, and I played with a bunch of guys from the North. Lou Holtz was able to recruit guys regardless of where their living room was because they were the best players and the best players want to play for the best.”

Q: How long did it take you to realize how big this rivalry was?

Smith: “I took a recruiting visit to USC, and USC talked about Notre Dame as if Notre Dame was as big to them as winning a national championship. When I decided to go to Notre Dame I already knew what the rivalry sounded like, and looked like and smelled like because I already experienced that going to USC for a visit. Notre Dame was their target. Their two targets were playing in the Rose Bowl and beating Notre Dame

“So when I went to Notre Dame I knew already that USC wanted to beat us. … They wanted to beat Notre Dame because Notre Dame was everyone’s national championship game.”

Q: From an actual playing the game standpoint, what is something you think about when the discussion of Notre Dame/USC comes up?

Smith: My biggest remembrance of playing at USC was playing against Willie McGinest. Willie was a great defensive end/linebacker for USC and he was my arch-nemesis. He helped me get better, he helped me because every time we went against them I knew I had to get myself right because he was a great player and I was always preparing myself to go against him. When I went against Willie I had to be at my best, and that was year after year after year.

Q: Did the talent you knew you were going to face prevent you from looking past whatever their record or ranking was?

Smith: “USC/Notre Dame week, it didn’t make a difference if we were both unranked or they were ranked 90th. They came to play and of course they had some of the best talent on the West Coast. USC is a tough place to play at because East Coast guys and South guys don’t want to go out to California for the most part. But they had some of the best talent on that field.

“There were great players that played at USC that we had to play against year in and year out, and that’s what prepared me. We knew the quality of player we were going to see, and if you didn’t prepare yourself they could embarrass you and certainly beat you.”

Q: What was USC week like for you guys from a preparation standpoint?

Smith: “You could always tell the difference between playing a Naval Academy or a Purdue then it was preparing for a Penn State or a USC. It was very uptight, it was uptight in the facility, it was uptight in practice, everything about it was very uptight because of course, we couldn’t afford to lose one game.

“It’s not a thing where the NFL, my son plays now in the NFL, they lose a game it’s ‘Hey man, don’t worry about it you’ve got 15 games left to go all you have to do is win 10 games and you’re in the playoffs.’ College Football is the exact opposite, you might get away with one loss, but two you can forget about it.

“When we were playing there was no such thing as the Playoff so you had to depend on how well you played and then rankings, so you couldn’t afford to lose to a USC. In retrospect we beat USC all four years I was there, but when you’re playing those games there’s nothing that says you’re going to beat USC four years. Every time you play them there’s a chance for you to lose, so we had to play at our best, so believe me when I tell you it was very tight in that facility when we played USC because we knew whether we played them home or away, any given Saturday, they could certainly beat us.”

Q: How did the USC rivalry stack up against other rivalries like Michigan and Miami?

Smith: “I truly believe … that USC week had to be as tough, if not the toughest week that we had. Every other year we were going out to California. We’re going from the Midwest and the cold to USC where its 70 degrees and sunshine. It was a different world. We had so much on our plate considering the kind of school you’re playing against, the kind of players, the kind of environment, the time change, there are so many different things in that environment that make it difficult.

“Miami was definitely a tough game, Michigan was always the beginning of the season, Penn State, the list goes on, we played a serious schedule. But I can tell you there was no tougher team for us to play than to play USC.”

Q: Let’s talk about you and Notre Dame for a minute. Notre Dame is certainly a program with arguably the richest tight end tradition. What does it mean to you to be a part of that?

Smith: “One of the big reasons I went to Notre Dame was because of Derek Brown (Brown played at Notre Dame from 1988 to 1991). D-Brown was my guy, he was my host, he was my mentor, he’s still one of my best friends to this day. A guy named Frank Jacobs was there, Frank was a great friend of mine to this day. I had so many people that played a role in me long term and my development, and the camaraderie that we have to this day was so huge.

“My son (Irv Smith Jr.) plays for the Vikings, and his mentor is (tight end) Kyle Rudolph, another Notre Dame guy. When I tell you the tradition and values at tight end, it goes full circle for me, because now my son is being mentored by a Notre Dame tight end.

“The second my son got drafted by the Vikings, the first text that came from my phone was from me to Kyle Rudolph, because I met Rudolph 5-6 years ago, I did a football camp at Notre Dame and I met him and he was a sharp young man so we exchanged phone numbers. So I sent him a text saying ‘Kyle, my son just got drafted by the Vikings, I’m going to ask you to do a favor and look out for my son,’ and Kyle was like ‘Irv, I will do everything I can to help your son be a professional on and off the field.’

“I was fortunate enough to see him out at training camp in Minnesota, and we took pictures, me, him and (Harrison Smith) and that camaraderie is such a blessing. There’s nothing like a Notre Dame man, but more importantly for me a Notre Dame tight end. Between Oscar McBride, Frank Jacobs, Derek Brown, myself, we are still best friends to this day.”

Q: Speaking of Notre Dame tight ends, what are your thoughts on current tight end Cole Kmet?

Smith: “He’s a stud. The kid can catch the ball, he can run, he’s definitely someone that I’m proud to say once again piles on the tradition. He’ll definitely be a big-time NFL player.”

A little something extra ….

After the formal part of our interview was over, Mr. Smith and I talked about a number of topics, including his son’s recruitment. He mentioned that when his son was being recruited, current Notre Dame offensive coordinator Chip Long recruited his son at both Arizona State and Memphis. He had an interesting quote about their relationship.

Smith: “My son and I went on a recruiting visit to Arizona State when he was there, and he wanted my son so badly. Then he went to Memphis, so my son went to Memphis just because of Chip Long. Irv went to Memphis for a recruiting visit for Coach Long. He wasn’t going to go to Memphis, but Irv did that as a favor for him because he loved Coach Long.”

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