Jay Megna remembers newly named Atlanta Falcons head coach Mike Smith as the only East Tennessee State football player who ever wore his socks low.
It sounds simple. But as Megna pointed out, "It was the late 1970s, the early 1980’s, man. Everybody had their tube socks pulled up as high as they could go. But not Mike. As soon as a game started, his socks would be down by his ankles. He would hit people so hard they just wouldn’t stay up."
Megna played defensive back for the Buccaneers from 1976-80. He then put in short stints playing for the Miami Dolphins, Washington Redskins and New Orleans Saints. And Megna said he couldn’t be prouder now that Smith has become the first-ever former Buccaneer football player to ever hold down an NFL head coaching position.
"I played under Don Shula, Joe Gibbs and Bum Phillips," said Megna, who currently resides in Chicago, Ill. "Just to think that Mike is now a part of that world is amazing. NFL coaches are part of a tight brotherhood. It’s not easy to break in. It’s phenomenal this is even happening and just a great opportunity for him."
Jim Shannon feels the same way.
Shannon and Smith go way back. Both are from the Florida area, and they roomed together at ETSU. They developed a strong friendship while playing for the Bucs, one that’s only intensified as they’ve grown older – Shannon spoke with Smith late Tuesday evening, just hours before the Falcons’ offer was made official.
"Mike is a very, very focused person. He put in his time at small colleges I think he’s known he’s wanted to coach ever since he left ETSU," said Shannon, who played offensive guard for the Bucs from 1976-81. "And Mike is a complete workaholic in the best sense – he’ll sleep two hours a night and be ready to go as soon as he wakes up."
Prior to accepting the Falcons’ offer, Smith had served as defensive coordinator for the Jacksonville Jaguars since 2003. He played linebacker for ETSU from 1978-81, and set the school’s career-record for tackles in a season with 186 (91 solo, 95 assists) as a senior in 1981.
"Mike’s worked his whole life for this," Megna said. "I know he felt honored just to get the interview. We talked about it before the [Jacksonville] Jaguars played the [New England] Patriots. He was still concentrating solely on the game. But I was already happy for him and very proud."
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