Fans show up to celebrate Smith’s second world championship with Chiefs

This past weekend featured some of the hottest days of the year, but that didn’t deter people from showing up at University School of Jackson’s Kirkland Field at Carlock Stadium.

Friday evening was the time to celebrate Trey Smith’s second Super Bowl championship. All day Saturday was the inaugural Trey Smith Football Camp.

Smith, along with USJ Headmaster Don Roe, Jackson Mayor Scott Conger and two young people each from USJ and Boys and Girls Club of Jackson took the stage in front of the home stands at USJ.

Roe welcomed Trey back home and discussed Smith’s importance as a member of USJ’s alumni.

Conger read an accommodation, acknowledging Smith’s success all the way from his high school days at USJ through college at the University of Tennessee to his current team, the Kansas City Chiefs, where he’s played since being drafted in 2021.

Then the youth on stage got to ask Smith a series of questions about his faith, his determination and his work ethic that helped him make it to where he is today.

A video was shown on the jumbotron above USJ’s scoreboard highlighting Smith’s journey as well.

Then after all that, it was Smith’s time to take the podium in front of a few hundred family, friends and fans.

“First and foremost, I need to thank God for helping me get here,” Smith said. “And I thank each and every one of you for the love and support that I feel every day from my hometown.

“When we have hard days during the season, knowing I’ve got so many people here cheering for me and loving me, that helps me push through the difficult days.”

After Smith spoke, he got to do something he told Conger and Roe he wanted to do when he did come back to celebrate.

“When I talked to Trey on the phone, he said, ‘I don’t just want to celebrate my team’s accomplishment, but I want to do something to give back to Jackson,’” Conger said.

After a few discussions between Smith’s sister, Ashley, and a few friends here in Jackson, the “giving back” that Smith wound up doing was donating a $5,000 check to Boys and Girls Club of Jackson.

The club’s director, Sabrina Anderson, and a few dozen of the students who are a part of that program were on hand for a check presentation during the celebration. A few of the boys – star struck by meeting an NFL player and possibly by seeing someone as big as Smith – got to spend a few extra seconds with Smith and see how large his world championship rings are.

Once the celebration was over, a few of Smith’s closer friends approached him on the field, and those friends approaching him turned into nearly the entire crowd coming onto the field for an impromptu autograph session that lasted nearly an hour.

While Smith hadn’t planned to sign autographs and take pics, he appeared to enjoy seeing familiar faces and young people who are growing up watching him play.4

Once the evening was over, Smith, his sister, USJ head football coach Derrick Pritchard and strength and conditioning coach Nick Stamper – who helped Smith a lot with his high school training – went over the plan for the camp the following day as hundreds of younger players would descend onto campus before its scheduled start at 8:30 a.m. and then a couple hundred middle and high school players would come through after lunch for their camp.

Brandon Shields, brandon@jacksonpost.news