Memories: Lance Smith Steals His Girlfriend’s Shoes

Personally, one of my favorite parts of the college football offseason (and, to be honest, the on-season too) is the Fulmer Cup. The Fulmer Cup is awarded every year by the excellent blog Every Day Should Be Saturday to the team that compiles the worst collective criminal record during the offseason.

This season, Auburn has all but clinched the Fulmer cup in one swift blow, as four Tigers players were charged with five counts of first-degree robbery each for a home invasion back in March. For more on that crazy story, EDSBS is here for you.

But this is a Wisconsin Badgers blog, and when it comes to players committing crimes, there really hasn’t been that much to report in recent times. In fact, the Badgers’ last appearance on the Fulmer Cup leaderboard goes all the way back to 2007. Those of us who first matriculated at Wisconsin the same time as I did — the fall of 2007 — certainly recall running back Lance Smith. He was supremely talented — honestly, I think he might’ve been better than John Clay — but personal problems never let him truly make an impact with the Badgers, and this story was the beginning of a swift end for Smith:

"Anyway, Wisconsin running back Lance Smith got into a spat with his girlfriend over whether she owed him five or ten dollars following a cab ride. The argument escalated quickly (they usually do) and culminated in this extremely rational conclusion to the situation:The woman told police that during the dispute, Smith — whose legal name is Smith-Williams — would not let her out of his North Randall Street apartment and pushed her down as she tried to leave.Smith then told the woman to go to a nearby convenience store to get change for a $20 bill, but allegedly followed her, still arguing, and pushed her down in the store, the woman told police.As she fell, the woman dropped the $20 bill and Smith allegedly picked up the cash and took her shoes, DeSpain said.I’ll ruin you! I’ll destroy you! I’ll…I’LL TAKE YOUR SHOES, BITCH!!! Smith is charged with false imprisonment, robbery and battery, an impressive seven-point score for Wisconsin after the addition of yet another hitting girls point."

This story was so odd, and Smith so clearly stupid, that it immediately became a punchline around campus. Smith’s poor decisions didn’t end there. He was ordered to perform community service as a punishment… and then didn’t ever do it.

Smith would later transfer to Memphis, where he totaled just over 200 yards from scrimmage in 2009, and really hasn’t ever been heard from since. For the joking tone I tend to take when talking about it, it’s kind of a sad story… but then again, how sorry can you really feel for a guy who pushed his girlfriend down and stole her shoes?