Sherman Smith in 2015
AP Photo/Elaine Thompson
Deland McCullough
“Even when I was disappointed about my being irresponsible, there was gratitude; I was fortunate I was in his life. And that’s what Deland said to me: ‘You’ve been in my life, w w w . s p o r t s s p e cmentored trum.com you’ve me, you’ve made a difference.’” – SH ER M AN SM I T H
McCullough’s roots in Youngstown, Ohio, run deep. Now the running backs coach for the Kansas City Chiefs, he was born in Pennsylvania but raised by his adoptive mother in Youngstown. (His adoptive parents divorced when he was 2.) He often found himself in church, as his grandmother was a pastor. “Being adopted and some of the things that I experienced growing up, without a doubt, I know it was God’s hand on my life,” McCullough told Sports Spectrum this fall, “just guiding me through those things and putting me in a position to be blessed and be able to be a blessing to other people.” The football field became a saving grace for young Deland, who found his niche as a running back. His tenacious running style soon began to garner the attention of some college programs. Smith had traversed a similar path almost two decades earlier, only as a quarterback. After four successful seasons at Miami, Smith was drafted as a running back by the newly-formed Seattle Seahawks in 1976. In the NFL, Smith grew not only in his knowledge of the game but also in his understanding of what it means to be a follower of Christ. Smith, too, grew up familiar with Christianity, but many who spoke of Christ did not reflect Him in their lives. By his own admission, Smith soon became that hypocrite. Then he met linebacker Ken Hutcherson, a Seahawks teammate. “God had a spiritual appointment for me in Seattle
with Ken Hutcherson, and Ken Hutcherson became my sycamore tree,” Smith said over the summer on the Sports Spectrum Podcast, referencing Luke 19 and how a sycamore tree helped Zacchaeus see Jesus. “He showed me Jesus, lived Jesus in front of me, loved me, mentored me, taught me, did all those things for me.” Hutcherson went down with an injury during Smith’s rookie year. When Smith visited the injured linebacker in the locker room, to his immense surprise, Hutcherson was excited for what God had planned for his future. Right then and there, Hutcherson shared the Gospel. “I understood in that moment that my identity was the key to my spiritual growth, and me understanding who I was and Whose I was,” Smith said. “That’s what changed me right there. … [Hutcherson] never condemned me, but he never condoned what I did. He always encouraged me in Christ.” As a new man in Christ, Smith set out to glorify God, first as a player until 1983 and then as a coach. Smith’s coaching career eventually brought him back to Miami, just as McCullough was making his name known as a promising running back for Campbell (Ohio) Memorial High School. “I was in my English class,” McCullough remembered. “He pulled up at the school and I didn’t know who he was, I’d just seen his car. I went downstairs and he introduced himself and he was recruiting me for football. ‘I’m RTS SPECTRUM Sherman Smith,S P Orunning backs 29
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