Bubba Smith always knew right words

Bubba Smith died last week. Smith was 66 and was found the next morning by his housekeeper in his home in Los Angeles. News reports said there appeared to be nothing suspicious about the death. He died of natural causes. When it comes to longtime football players, particularly linemen, "old" can be a relative term.

I never personally got to meet him, but right away the news got my attention because Bubba Smith, a 6-foot-7, 285-pound defensive tackle back when 285 pounds meant something, is the author of my two favorite sports quotes.

He's the guy who said:

"The whole thing started when he hit me back."

and

"I just tackle the whole backfield and throw guys out until I come to the one with the ball."

I searched all the stories on Google News about Smith's passing to see if those Hall-of-Fame one-liners made it into the many tributes. To my disappointment, neither of them did. So, in Bubba's memory, here they are, memorialized one last time in print.

Although you can hear him say the line about tackling the whole backfield on YouTube.

The line was part of a TV commercial Bubba did for Miller Lite in the 1970s, after he retired from a 10-year career in the NFL that included two Super Bowls with the Colts and two trips to the Pro Bowl.

At the end of the ad, he rips the top off the beer can he's holding and delivers another memorable Bubba Smith line: "I also love the easy-opening cans."

Bubba received as much notoriety for those beer ads as he did for his playing career, and truth be told, probably a lot more considering Advertising Age ranks Miller's "Great Taste … Less Filling" the eighth best advertising campaign in history. (No. 1 is Volkswagen's "Think Small," No. 2 is Coca Cola's "The Pause That Refreshes." To see the top 100 go to www.adage.com/century/campaigns.

In reading about those ads and his life, I came across another quote of Bubba's, and this one I hadn't heard before:

"I quit."

Bubba initially did the ads because they paid well and he got to work with all sorts of retired sports stars Miller signed up for the campaign, including Ray Nitschke, Ben Davidson, Joe Frazier, Bob Uecker, Boog Powell, George Steinbrenner, Billy Martin, Dick Butkus and many others. The taping sessions were like going back to the locker room.