Kansas Shrine Bowl

There must be something in the water in Pittsburg.

            For the second straight year, the Kansas Shrine Bowl East team has a quarterback on its roster who is the latest in a string of brothers to play in the Shrine Bowl.  Last year, University of Kansas signee Kerry Meier (Pittsburg) became fourth player from his family to participate in the annual charity event.  This year, it’s Pittsburg State University Gorilla-to-be Jeff Smith (Pittsburg Colgan), who becomes the third Smith brother to be named a Shine Bowl All-Star.

            Jeff Smith is no stranger to championship competition.  His numbers in championship play are nothing less than amazing.  In four years of high school, he has appeared in 11 of 12 possible state title games in three sports: football, basketball, and baseball, with Colgan winning 6 of those 11 games.  The only sport in which the Panthers did not advance to a state title game during Smith’s career was baseball in 2004.

            The versatile, all-around athlete nearly led Colgan to 2A state championships in three different sports in 2005-06.  But championships proved elusive in football and basketball for Smith and his teammates.  In November, they were beaten by Smith Center in the 2A-1A football title game, 36-16.  In March, the Panthers basketball team narrowly lost to Trego Community  48-47 in the 2A championship match, a game in which Smith’s final shot inside the lane fell off the lip of the rim as the buzzer sounded.

            Colgan found redemption in baseball, however, as a Smith-led squad won the 2A title by defeating St. Mary’s 9-2 in the championship game.  The winning pitcher?  Lefty Jeff Smith, of course, who allowed only one hit, a single, in seven innings of work.

            Which brings up an interesting—and unusual—facet of Smith’s athletic career.  He’s been an outstanding left-handed pitcher in baseball, but throws a football from the right side, a set of left-right skills rarely found even among elite athletes.  He says it started when he received a baseball glove for his right hand as a youngster, and he began throwing baseballs left-handed.  “I can’t throw a football left-handed,” he says.  “I can throw a baseball right-handed, but not as well as left-handed.”

            It will be his strong right arm that will be on display at the Shrine Bowl, and, he hopes, at PSU, where brother Mark, a junior, is expected to be a strong contender for the number one quarterback job this fall.  “I plan to learn as much as I can from Mark,” he says, “and hopefully when he graduates, I’ll have a opportunity to play.”

            It has been the experiences of his brothers, in part, that have had him excited about the prospect of playing in the Shine Bowl.  He says “They both had good experiences, especially going to St. Louis to see the kids.  I’m really looking forward to it.  Both Nick and Mark say it’s an experience I’ll never forget.”  Both Shrine Bowl squads will visit the St. Louis Unit of Shriner’s Hospitals on July 22, a trek that every Shrine Bowl team has taken since the game’s inception in 1974.

            A major influence in Smith’s life and athletic career is his dad.  Chuck Smith is Colgan’s football coach, and has led the Panthers to six straight title appearances, winning four in a row from 2000 through 2003.  Ask Chuck what makes the Smith brothers great players, and he will tell you that his sons have been surrounded by teammates who have been winners.  “It’s team success that brings individual honors,” he says.

            Jeff echoes that idea.  “My success has come because I’ve had good teammates,” he says.  “Good teammates just make you better.”

            Proceeds from the game support the Shriner’s Hospitals for Children, a network of 22 hospitals that provide expert, no-cost orthopedic and burn care to children under 18.

Advance reserved chairback tickets are $20.00 in advance, $21.00 on game night.  Adult general admission tickets are $9.00 in advance, $10.00 on game night.  Student tickets are $5.00 in advance, $6.00 on game night.  Banquet tickets are $20.00, and must be purchased in advance.  Advance game tickets and banquet tickets can be purchased through the Shrine Bowl office by calling 1-800-530-5524

Additional information and a link to Shriners Hospitals for Children can be found at http://www.ksshrine.com.