JOEY WAGNER
Decatur Herald & Review
CHAMPAIGN â Want Lovie Smith to open up? Bring up Big Sandy, Texas, and the high school football team he starred on in the mid 1970s.
Smith, Illinois head football coach, is generally averse to talking about himself, but Big Sandy holds a special place. Ask him about it and he ll rave about the town and the school â from the early mornings in the country to the football team that won three straight state championships with him at middle linebacker.
During Smith s days in Big Sandy, the big rivals were Hawkins and Winona. As Chicago Bears coach, it was the Green Bay Packers.