Fred Graves, now the wide receivers coach for the Carolina Panthers, remembers going on a recruiting trip to Santa Monica (Ca.) Junior College in 1998 to watch Chad Johnson, hoping to bring him to Utah where he was on Ron McBride's coaching staff. The more Graves watched Johnson (now Ochocinco), the more he noticed Steve Smith, a 5-foot, 9-inch bundle of fire and muscle. As a receiver, Smith was raw but he had a knack for making plays and his competitiveness drew Graves to him.
During a visit to Santa Monica, Graves asked Smith what he was doing that evening. Smith told him he had to work at Taco Bell, an after classes job that required him to ride the bus there and back. Though neither realized it at the time, it was the start of a friendship that developed during Smith's two seasons at Utah and has brought them together again with the Panthers this season.
CARRY ON
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