April 29, 2008

by Louis Bonnette

For a fellow who grew up in the city and never rode a horse until he was in high school, Mike Smith went a long way in the rodeo profession.

This year it will be exactly 10 years since the former McNeese State offensive lineman won the world championship of steer wrestling.

He took the title on a winter's day in the city of Las Vegas at the world championship rodeo, tossing a steer in the time of 3.2 seconds.

"It was December 13," he recalled. "I mounted out on Jimmy Powers' horse Scooter and we worked well together."

The New Iberia native had gone into the 10th and final go around needing a good score to take the rodeo's title. He got it with the 3.2 clocking and at the same time captured the world championship crown which goes to the performer who leads the money list for the full year.

That world championship was his only one but he can also look back at four times being the runnerup (1990, 1993, 1995 and 1999). That's an average of finishing in the top two almost one out of every two years.

He could very well be the only world steer wrestling champion in the Pro Rodeo Hall of Fame who had gone into the sport with no background one could connect with the sport.

His was an athlete but it was mainly football, having been an all-district performer in high school as both an offensive lineman and a linebacker. His father was a coach, principal and district superintendent and his mother a teacher, both possessing doctoral degrees in education.

"At the World's Champions banquet at Caesar Palace after I had won the world championship, they made several comments about the fact that I hadn't grown up with a horse underneath me," he said.

Out of high school Smith had earned a football scholarship to McNeese State (also recruited by Louisiana-Monroe and Louisiana Tech) where he played under coaches John McCann and Sonny Jackson. The late Tucker Debetaz had recruited him and he had played for former Cowboy lineman Wylie Fraze at New Iberia High.

"I got into rodeoing in high school," he said. "My brother Bruce was involved and got me into it and through him I met Steve Duhon (who would go on to become an outstanding rodeo performer after a career at LSU as a linebacker) who really helped me along with his dad.

"However, once I got the scholarship to McNeese, I had to put rodeoing aside. I would have loved to have been a member of the school's rodeo team but couldn't do it because of the injury factor. "

Out of college though, Smith took to the road.

He joined the pro rodeo circuit in 1988.

Looking back he remembers his very first attempt at wrestling a steer.

"It was in October of 1982 in Kinder at Mr. Arden Clemons place. I wasn't too prepared and it would take me several years to get the technique down," he said.

His first official time at throwing a steer came later in Crowley when he tossed one in 9.1 seconds.

That time would be drastically reduced as his pro career began.

His first pro rodeo as a card holder came in 1988 in Denver where he tossed a steer in 3.8 seconds and claimed third place.

He was 6-1, 275 pounds and tossing steers that averaged 600 to 700 pounds.

Smith went on to win rodeos from Calgary to Ft. Worth - including four times winning his event at the rodeo at Burton Coliseum - rub shoulders with the best in the sport and make friends with fellow competitors as well as nationally known entertainers.

He said that he had a lot of help along the way, paying tribute to such friends as Billy Duhon. While he was at McNeese, he also received a lot of help from Donnie Matheson at Bell City. And Gene Fontenot of Iowa was a big supporter.

Now 42 years old, retired from rodeoing and living in St. Francisville where he is self employed in the communication business for major cell companies, Smith can look back on his 13 years of being one of the top steer wrestlers in professional rodeo.

"This was a hobby that turned into a profession," he said.

"Not long ago I went back," he said. "I took my son with me and I just wanted to see if I could still do it. I found out that I could. But, I had done everything that I wanted to do. It was getting to the point that I needed to be home with my kids who were growing up. I didn't want to be someone who stayed too long." He didn't. He left at the top of his profession.

Mike Smith (center) paid a recent visit to the McNeese football department. He's pictured with head coach Matt Viator (right) and assistant coach Carlos McGee.