“He’s a good-looking kid,” said the older man. “That’s a good face to have.”
They met for the first time on Thursday morning at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, a union that bridged the Gators football program’s distinguished past with a hopeful future.
As Emmitt Smith stood at the end of the tunnel leading from Florida’s locker room, incoming Gators quarterback DJ Lagway was about to receive the shock of his young life. Lagway was told he was there for a photo session after arriving in town with his parents from Orlando, where he played in Wednesday’s Under Armour All-America Game.
Smith waited outside as Lagway opened the door and headed down the tunnel. He did not have a camera.
Instead, the Pro Football Hall of Fame running back held the Gatorade National Player of the Year trophy. Smith was the first Florida player to win the award 36 years ago as the nation’s top high school football player at Escambia High in Pensacola. Lagway, a five-star prospect from Willis, Texas, is the latest.
The moment was another page turned during a week full of memorable experiences for both Smith and Lagway.
After finishing his playing career at UF in 1989, Smith became the NFL’s all-time leading rusher. He strolled back into his glorious past on Sunday in Dallas when former Cowboys coach Jimmy Johnson was inducted into the franchise’s Ring of Honor. Smith and former teammates Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin and others participated in the ceremony.
Meanwhile, since Lagway signed with the Gators last month, he has racked up several state and national awards, but none more prominent than the trophy Smith handed him at 11:40 Thursday morning on a sunny and cool January day. Smith wasn’t the only one to make the trip from Texas to surprise Lagway.
As part of Gatorade’s unique announcement — it’s the first time the sports beverage company has presented the award to a player on a college campus — 50 friends and family of Lagway’s sat quietly in the stands above the entrance. Lagway’s grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins and friends stood and cheered when Smith pointed up to them after handing Lagway the…
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