Irishman Smith enjoys special St. Patrick’s Day
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Monday, Mar 17, 2008
By Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com
Chargers General Manger A.J. Smith sat atop a convertible’s back seat waving to the crowd as Grand Marshal of San Diego’s 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade on Saturday when he heard some of the first football predictions for the 2008 season.
“Here’s A.J. Smith, General Manger of the San Diego Chargers,” the public address announcer called out. “I have a feeling we’ll see him in another parade next year after the Super Bowl.”
Smith, whose wife Susan rode with him, says he hopes the P.A. announcer and fans up and down Fifth and Sixth Avenues calling out similar predictions prove prophetic.
But for now the three-quarters-blood Irishman said he enjoyed his first experience as a Grand Marshall in what is the largest St. Patrick’s Day Parade West of the Mississippi.
“It was unbelievable,” Smith said. “I met so many nice people before and after the parade.”
Smith, whose wife, Susan, was with him in the parade, said his first inclination was to turn down the invitation to serve as Grand Marshal when Bill Johnston, Director of Public Relations, told him about the opportunity.
“Billy said, ‘Trust me, you’ll enjoy this,’ ” Smith said. “Plus, I’m three-quarters Irish, so I would have never lived it down with my family if I didn’t do it.”
Smith said his mother was full-blooded Irish and his father was half-Irish.
“People think with a name like Smith they’re more Irish than me,” he said. “I have a lot of fun with that. I say let’s break it down. I do it every year on St. Paddy’s Day.”
The San Diego St. Patrick’s Day Parade is organized by the Irish Congress of Southern California.
“It was an incredible honor to be part of such a big parade,” Smith said. “It was well organized and I met so many great people.”
Tom Shanahan, Chargers.com
Chargers General Manager A.J. Smith, pictured with his wife Sue, served as the Grand Marshall for San Diego’s 28th annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade Saturday.
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