Proctor coach going to Miami to see former player in Super Bowl
Story Created:
Feb 2, 2010 at 4:59 PM EST
Story Updated:
Feb 2, 2010 at 5:15 PM EST
UTICA, N.Y. (WKTV) - Utica native Will Smith is just days away from taking the field in Miami for the Super Bowl, and in attendance will be one his old coaches from Proctor High School.
Paul Filletti coached Smith at Proctor High School from his days at the modified level all the way up through to the varsity level.
"He was an amazing athlete," Filletti said. "He was string. He was fast. He had all the tools to move onto the next level."
Just outside of Proctor High School is a fairly new parking lot that used to be the football field 11 years ago - the same football field Will Smith played on.
Filletti said at that even watching Smith play back in high school, he knew the player was a star.
In Smith's first game Filletti recalls the young defensive end getting beat by the opposing teams running back. That is, until Filletti simply told Smith what to do. The Proctor defensive coach said that from there on out, Smith became a tackling machine.
"I looked at Coach Puleo and said is that all I gotta do is tell this kid what to do?" Filletti recalled. "So I said - 'next time they run it, take the ball away and run it for a touchdown.' And that's exactly what he did. He took the ball and ran 80 yards for a touchdown. Ever since then, I knew this kid has something in him."
According to Filletti, Smith was a role model even in high school, both on and off the field. He attributes that to the NFL star's late grandmother and legal guardian when they lived in Utica.
"He had to do his homework after school," Filletti said. "He wasn't allowed to hang out in the streets. His grandmother had a good hold on him."
Smith is now one game away from winning a Superbowl - just seven years after he won a national title.
Do does his old coach think the underdog Saints can do it?
"They got a shot," laughed Filletti, "The Saints are underrated."
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