I haven't seen anything posted on NAS as yet, but Todd Smith, former
general manager for the New England Revolution, died Wednesday evening at
Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston after suffering a relapse of the
cancer that he'd battled over the last year and-a-half. Todd was diagnosed
with acute myopic leukemia in the summer of 2002, eventually undergoing a
series of bone marrow transplants in addition to a series of chemotherapy
treatments as part of his treatment. Todd was 38.
He came to the Revolution after serving as g.m. of the Hershey Wildcats of
the A-League for four seasons. There, the team under his direction won two
Atlantic Division titles in 1997 and 1999, a Northern Conference title in
2000, and was named the A-League's executive of the year in 1997. Todd was
named g.m. of the Revolution in 2000, and under his direction saw the Revs
to a place in the 2001 U.S. Open Cup Final, the 2002 MLS Cup Final, also
having helped bring on board Steve Nicol and several key players still
currently with the team. Todd stepped down as g.m. towards the end of the
2002 season, but worked as an advisor to the Revolution, and while still
with the club, did a great deal of work from his hospital bed.
Todd had most recently worked as the Soccer Development Director for the
Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (http://www.leukemia-lymphoma.org), this past
October having produced the video "Soccer Kicks Cancer" featuring former
U.S. National Team players John Harkes and Tab Ramos along with several
professional and college soccer coaches from Major League Soccer and the
New England region. Proceeds from the video will benefit the Leukemia &
Lymphoma Society.
Smith is survived by his teenage son, Drake; mother, Priscilla; sister
Debbie Voight, brother-in-law Rick Voight, and fiancee Lynne Meterparel.
I had the chance to have some nice conversations with Todd during his
tenure in New England, on subjects ranging from the construction of
Gillette Stadium, to sharing thoughts on European games we'd watched on
ESPN. I also recall the grace and good humor with which he fought his
battle, at one point joking about his weight loss and new "Mr. Clean" look
at a Midnight Riders tailgate. The last time I got to see him was at MLS
Cup 2002 at Gillette Stadium. He was walking the end-line behind the North
Goal at half-time wearing a heavy winter coat and surgical mask, but at one
point he pulled it down to reveal a beaming smile, a man looking utterly
content as he stared up at the 60,000-plus fans in attendance on a sunny,
crisp fall day. He thanked the resident New England fans for their support
and slowly strolled off just taking in the moment, very much living life at
his own pace.
He will be dearly missed by many in New England and others in the U.S.
soccer community.