Bubba Smith was larger-than-life in every possible way.

There aren’t many people who can go from starring on the football field to starring in movies, on television, and in commercials, but Bubba Smith was a rarity in every field he was involved in.  As a Spartan at Michigan State, the 6’8 defensive lineman from Beaumont, Texas, inspired the fans to chant “Kill Bubba Kill” on the way to being a two-time All-American in 1965 and 1966.  College success propelled Bubba to the NFL, where he was a number one draft pick of the Baltimore Colts, made All Star teams in 1970 and 1971, and claimed a victory in Super Bowl V before retiring in 1976.  Then, Smith took his huge frame and went to Hollywood, starring in (among other things), the Police Academy series as gentle giant Moses Hightower.

Smith always said his success in life was due to the hard work of his father, who carried a board to football practice as a high-school football coach in Texas and who taught his children to work hard no matter what.  “He taught us to be humble off the field,” Smith said in a 1969 interview with the New York Times.  “Inside, I’ve got to feel I’m the best, but if I tell you I’m the best, then I’m a fool.”

Charles Aaron “Bubba” Smith passed away at his home in Los Angeles at age 66.  According to the LA County Coroner’s Office, it is believed that Smith passed away from natural causes and no foul play is suspected.

Tags: Police Academy, NFL, football, Bubba Smith, Hightower, Bubba Smith dead at 66, obituaries, celebrities, deaths, Police Academy star Bubba Smith dead at 66, Bubba Smith dead, Michigan State Spartans, Michigan State, Spartans, Kill Bubba Kill, Beaumont, Texas, Los Angeles, California, Baltimore Colts, Charles Aaron Smith

I’ve never had a problem eating food from a gas station.  Just two weeks ago, I ate a couple of hot dogs purchased from a gas station.  They were delicious.  That’s not the first time I’ve eaten gas station food, and I doubt it will be the last.  There’s nothing like a fun food novelty. […]

Commissioner Roger Goodell gathered 32 NFL owners for one big question.  One of the league’s most wanderlust-stricken franchises is looking to move again.  The Oakland-Los Angeles-Oakland Raiders, tired of gutting it out in a run-down stadium, were once again looking for greener pastures.  Only the Miami Dolphins refused to cooperate.  With a vote of 31-1, […]

In 2006, an injury to Dallas Cowboys starting quarterback Drew Bledsoe opened the door for an undrafted free agent by the name of Tony Romo to take the helm of America’s Team and lead the Dallas Cowboys to an early playoff exit.  Bledsoe went from starter to afterthought in a season.  Now, the circle continues […]

For 89 years, Oscars has never had a major mistake.  The last few Oscars might have had a few flubs, but at least they never got the most important category of the night wrong.  Well, that’s now changed, all thanks to OG Bonnie and Clyde legends Warren Beatty and Faye Dunaway.  When Faye Dunaway called […]

Tom Brady has been wildly successful, if controversial.  He’s the first quarterback ever to win five Super Bowls and only the second player to do so after Charles Haley.  Unlike Haley, Brady won all his Super Bowls with the same team, the New England Patriots.  The only thing that seems to be able to stop […]

Ben Affleck, no matter what you might think of him, is a talented actor and director.  He’s got the goods, but he’s smart enough to know when he’s in over his head.  All along, since he took on the mantle of Batman, he’s had his eyes on writing, directing, and starring as the Caped Crusader. […]

In May, students for the for-profit American College of Education were running into some problems.  Their access to email accounts and course information was locked down by Google, who had disabled their accounts.  The reason why?  A fired IT worker for the American College of Education locked the school out of their Google cloud account. […]