Steve Smith Sr. introduced himself to Jordan Gross 18 years ago by telling him he was about to lose his job.
Smith and friend Phil Blackmon, an offensive lineman, had transferred to Utah in 1999 from Santa Monica College. Gross was a young lineman himself, thrown off by such a blunt first gesture.
As the next two decades unfolded, however, the 6-foot-4 future Pro Bowl tackle got used to that sort of talk from his teammate.
“What you see is what you get with Steve,” Gross said.
On Friday evening inside the Rice-Eccles Stadium tower, Smith and Gross were inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame. On Saturday afternoon, the former Utes, who went on to star together in the NFL with the Carolina Panthers from 2003 to 2013, were honored at halftime of Utah’s game against Arizona State.
It was the first time, Smith said, he’s been able to return to Rice-Eccles Stadium and take in a home game. In typical fashion, Smith took his own turn reminiscing of his first memory of Gross.
“Just to throw a little dig at Jordan, he was just a tall, pudgy kid,” Smith said. “Now he’s all ears.”
The duo has come a long way from their time as standouts in the last years of the Ron McBride era, Gross said. Ending up in the Crimson Club Hall of Fame never crossed his mind during his days as a Ute, nor did it while he was starring as one of the dominant left tackles in the NFL until his retirement in 2014.
“It means the world to me,” said Gross, a former All-Pro selection. “To be in with Steve, who is a great friend of mine, a guy I have so much respect for and have so much history with — especially on this field — and in Carolina, it makes it even more special.”
Smith decided to hang up his cleats in January, capping a 16-year career in the NFL. The tenacious former wideout accounted for 81 touchdowns and over 14,700 receiving yards with the Panthers and Baltimore Ravens. He still resides in Charlotte, N.C., with his family, and recently joined the NFL Network as an analyst.
Taking in a game from the stands was on Smith’s bucket list since graduating in 2000. He was able to attend the 2009 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama in New Orleans with — who else — Gross. It might’ve taken longer than he hoped to return, but Saturday, alongside his family and Gross, sufficed.
“It was really special, because we’ve done a lot of things together,” he said. “This just is a cherry on top.”
Defense thinned by injuries
The Utes were without starting strong safety Chase Hansen and middle linebacker Sunia Tauteoli on Saturday.
Hansen, a redshirt junior, was injured in last week’s loss at USC. Hansen returned to the game in Los Angeles, but was unable to finish. Tauteoli, Utah’s leading tackler in 2017 with 42 total tackles and 7.5 tackles for loss, missed his first game of the year.