That trophy had just been polished. In all the years it stood in his home, Ewell Smith Jr., could finally see his face reflected over the cup’s body.

The 1925 Godchaux Cup, which honored Loyola’s best all-around athlete, will now reside in Loyola’s Athletic Hall of Fame with the induction of its owner, Ewell “Bill” Smith Sr., A’25. It seemed appropriate that his father’s long-awaited induction included that trophy; it had been his proudest achievement.

“I think the biggest thing for him was getting that trophy,” his son said. “It meant a lot because it represented everything he did in football, baseball and basketball. He was very pleased when he got that.”

The May 9, 1925, Times-Picayune reported the Godchaux Cup was a toss-up between Bill and his younger brother, A.D., both

accomplished Loyola athletes. As journalist Ed Herbert recalled in the write-up, the decision for Bill was unanimous:

“When Bill Smith’s name was called, that hall fairly rocked and removed all doubt as to the popularity of a man so honored.”

When Bill Smith came to Loyola in 1921 from St. Charles High School in Grand Couteau, La., the university did not offer football as an intercollegiate sport. A year later, he became captain of the school’s first football team, making history with their opening 7-0 victory against the Tigers of Louisiana State University.

Incredible as it sounds today, it was no fluke that Bill Smith put Loyola on the football map after the first game of his college career. The “country boy,” as his son professed, from the tiny town of Grand Couteau, had been recruited earlier by Notre Dame and Holy Cross College in South Bend, Ind., and Boston College but decided to stay near his family.

“He had a lot of pressure to stay in the state, but he wanted to stay,” said his son, the younger Smith. “He loved Louisiana.”

As a junior, Bill Smith pushed even further along the football circuit. After scoring four touchdowns against Jefferson College, it was obvious he had something special.

“When given the ball, Smith just couldn’t be stopped,” read The Times-Picayune in 1923. “The team … simply seemed to be electrified whenever Bill broke through.”

Bill Smith was also captain of the basketball and baseball teams, for which he played all four years. He was even offered a deal from the Philadelphia Phillies but had to turn it down after injuring his throwing arm.

“He loved baseball,” recalled his son. “He said it was a good, clean sport. You didn’t get hurt.”

With the minimal padding worn by football players at the time, Bill Smith took a considerable beating. While Loyola prepared for a home game against Oglethorpe University, he sustained a neck injury and was expected to sit out for part of the season. But nothing could stop the team’s starting fullback, not even pain; he came back and played anyway.

In addition to his work ethic, Bill Smith had a certain visible energy when he played. When bothproperties ignited on the field, the Times-Picayune described it as “the brightest light out of a field of scintillating stars.” By the end of his junior year, the Wolfpack was hailed as the undisputed Jesuit champions of the South.

For four years, no player on any team worked harder than Bill Smith.

After graduating from Loyola’s pharmacy school in 1925, his effort carried over into professional success as head of credit collection at the New Orleans Public Service Dept. for almost forty years. There, he met his wife with whom he had two children, a son and a daughter. He was also involved in mortgage collection and rented out several apartments. In 1940, he opened Smith’s Pharmacy, where he worked seven days a week in addition to his other jobs.

“Well, I mean, he knocked off about three on a Sunday,” the younger Smith said, chuckling at his father’s workaholism. “He and his brothers, they were never afraid of work. Work is it.”

Despite his intensive schedule, Bill Smith was quiet and reserved. The dynamic energy with which he had played was kept hidden behind his calm diligence.

“He would express his opinions and things like that, but you know, he was quiet. About a lot of things.”

While he was generally quiet, Bill Smith could talk for hours about sports. He and his son were avid fans of LSU football and got excited about the legendary Billy Cannon, whom Bill Smith regarded as “the epitome of a ‘super-back.'”

Cannon won the Heisman Trophy in 1959 and authored a punt return remembered by Tiger fans to this day – on Halloween night in ’59, he motorcycled through seven tackles for the only touchdown in a 7-3 win over the No. 3 Rebels of Ole Miss.

“That’s when he would liven up,” said his son. “He would really liven up.”

Whether he was watching, playing or discussing them, sports would always be Bill Smith’s livelihood. That’s when he would show that spark that lit up the field and gained Loyola national football fame. It was that same energy that captained three Loyola teams and compelled him to work multiple careers but never take off a day.

It wasn’t just his work ethic or just his talent. It was some rare combination of the two that forever marked him as a great athlete. He didn’t have to say much for people to recognize it.

“Everybody knew what an athlete he was. They all respected him for it,” his son said. “He just stood out. It was his work ethic, that type of thing.”

His son insists the elder Smith never pushed his children to emulate their father’s tireless ambition. “He didn’t have to,” he said. “He was in us.”

Even with all his professional and personal accomplishments, Bill Smith was forever an athlete. For the rest of his life, people respected him as one. No matter how many years out of uniform, he embodied the virtues of an ideal sportsman; he played for Loyola, he inspired it and always stood for it.

If you watch carefully, you might see a spark of that rare dynamic quality that Bill Smith possessed. When the fate of the game rests on a fullback breaking through the line and gaining one last first down, you can see it shine. It fills the whole stadium. It makes you get up out of your seat and scream.

Ramon Antonio Vargas contributed to this report. Nicole Mundy can be reached at [email protected].