On the football field, the 6-foot-7, 280-pound Smith was as ferocious a defensive end as the game has ever seen. From the time he stepped onto campus to play for legendary MSU head coach Duffy Daugherty in 1964, Smith became known for his tenacity and work ethic on the field and his comfortable charisma off it.

“He was a true Spartan,” former head football coach George Perles said. “Him and Duffy were very close. It was beautiful when you would see them together. They had so much respect for each other.”

Although he struggled adjusting in his first two seasons after coming to MSU from Beaumont, Texas, Smith would be remembered as one of the legends in the history of the program, as he paved a career that would lead to his induction into the College Football Hall of Fame in 1988. In his final two seasons at MSU, the two-time All-American Smith led the Spartans to a combined record of 19-1-1, which included back-to-back Big Ten and national championships in 1965 and 1966.

Perhaps his finest moment came in his final game at MSU, in which Smith anchored the Spartan defense — separating the shoulder of Fighting Irish starting quarterback Terry Hanratty on a tackle — in a 10–10 draw with Notre Dame in a game billed as the “Game of the Century.” The game produced more than 20 All-Americans and 30 future professional football players.

“I don’t think that they’ve had a game where they had that much talent on the field,” Smith told The State News in 2006. “Show me a game that had that much talent, that had that many first-round picks to come out of that game.”

Smith’s aura continued to grow as he was drafted with the first overall pick in the 1967 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Colts. He spent five seasons with the Colts, where he would reach the Super Bowl twice and win once in Super Bowl V before he was traded to the Oakland Raiders in 1972.

During his time in the NFL, Smith would develop many high-profile friends, including NFL Hall of Famer Dick Butkus. Butkus — who starred alongside Smith in commercials for Miller Lite and the short-lived TV series “Blue Thunder” — said working with Smith allowed the two to be close for many years.

“I just started laughing when we used to do the commercials,” Butkus said. “We helped each other with how to make something a little bit funnier. We really worked at it, and I was proud of that – what we did. … I really miss him.”

After a knee injury slowed his career, he retired from the Houston Oilers in 1976 and focused on building an acting career.

Smith landed several small roles in many popular shows in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, most notably “Good Times,” “Taxi” and “Charlie’s Angels.” With his tremendous size merged with his subtle humor, he would gain the respect of fellow actors, including “Good Times” co-star Jimmie Walker, who became a fan of the “gentle giant.”

His big break would come when he landed the role of florist-turned-officer Moses Hightower in the 1984 hit “Police Academy.”

Smith later made a public return to his alma mater in 2006 on the 40th anniversary of the “Game of the Century” to see his No. 95 jersey retired and his name added to the Ring of Fame at Spartan Stadium. As he waved to the crowd, he was greeted with a framed No. 95 jersey by then-sophomore defensive end Justin Kershaw — who wore No. 95 but vacated the number following the game — and the famed “Kill, Bubba, Kill” chant by the Spartan faithful.

“Needless to say, Bubba was a longtime friend,” said former MSU wide receiver and teammate Gene Washington in a statement to the athletics department. “He was a great teammate and a great leader. Bubba never had to say much because he led by example.”