San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith returned to his alma mater Monday. Two years after leaving the Utes to become the NFL's top draft pick, Smith came back to make another handoff — a $500,000 donation to the University of Utah athletic department.
"I appreciate everything that happened to me here and all the support I received," Smith said. "This is kind of a tangible way to express that. I just wanted to do it."
Smith's donation has been earmarked as the lead gift for a $1.5 million expansion of the varsity athletics weight room, which will be renamed the Alex Smith Strength and Conditioning Facility — an 11,000-square foot complex featuring new lifting stations and cardiovascular conditioning space.
The 3,500-square foot upgrade to the current weight room in the Smith Athletics Center is a welcome addition. Utah head coach Kyle Whittingham said the facility needs a face-lift.
"On behalf of the University of Utah football program, I would like to thank Alex Smith for his generous donation. Alex's leadership — both on and off the field — helped bring unprecedented success and recognition to the university during his playing days," Whittingham said in the formal announce-
ment of Smith's financial contribution. "I sincerely appreciate Alex's continued commitment to the success of the athletic programs and student athletes at the University of Utah."
Athletic director Chris Hill also praised Smith. He said it's a compliment to the university to have Smith's name forever linked to the facility.
"Alex's generosity and desire to help his college football team continue to be successful epitomizes his career as a student-athlete — second-to-none," Hill said in the announcement. "Alex was not only a great football player, he was also an outstanding scholar, teammate and leader. I am thrilled that Alex's experience at Utah was such that he wants to remain a part of our program."
University of Utah president Michael Young, who joined Smith, Hill and Whittingham at Monday's press conference at the Smith Center, also had kind things to say.
"This gift illustrates one of Alex's greatest characteristics — that of leadership. He clearly demonstrated that leadership at Rice-Eccles Stadium," Young said in a released statement. "He continues to demonstrate it at Monster Park and now he's leading once again as a young alumnus giving back to his alma mater. We are deeply grateful and very proud of Alex."
Smith led the Utes to a 12-0 record and the Bowl Championship Series two seasons ago. He left Utah with a year of eligibility remaining and a bachelor's degree in economics to pursue a professional career and was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.
Since making the jump, Smith has become the 49ers' starting quarterback. Even so, he hasn't forgotten his roots — regularly telling his teammates that the 2004 Utes could have beaten anyone they faced and deserved the chance to be crowned national champions.
"He was the catalyst for what we did during that year," Whittingham acknowledged.
Smith left shortly thereafter in a whirlwind of activity that included a lengthy conditioning stint in Florida prior to the NFL Scouting Combine.
"It happened so fast. I feel like I never really got to say goodbye to the university or goodbye to Utah and thank them for everything that happened to me here," Smith said. "All the experiences I've had ... are truly life-changing. This is my alma mater. This is something I'll take with me the rest of my life. It's part of me. I'm a Ute for life."
As such, Smith is happy to see his donation go to improving Utah's weight room — a place where he spent a lot of time. The gift, he explained, has been in the works for more than a year and fits his desire to do something major.
"I truly feel that it is not only my responsibility, but my honor to make this donation and give back to some future athletes that will be coming here," said Smith, who noted that Utah was the only program to offer him a scholarship out of high school. "It's really special for me. I'm really proud of this."
Utah quarterback Brian Johnson, who was Smith's backup in 2004, said his former teammate's gift is admirable.
"It's a really, really good thing that he did for the university," Johnson said. "It's just like his character. He's a really good guy."
The gift, officials hope, may encourage other former Utes to make contributions as well.
"It gives us the opportunity to get into these conversations with other professional athletes that we have," said Chris Ritrievi, Utah's associate athletic director for external relations. "So I think that the leverage on Alex's gift goes far beyond the $500,000. It allows us to start conversations with others." -->
Smith is the third professional athlete in the past two years to give money to the Utah athletic department. NBA players Andre Miller and Andrew Bogut donated $500,000 and $125,000, respectively, to the basketball program.
E-mail: dirk@desnews.com