He’s spoken with the likes of Bob Marley, Stevie Wonder, and Kiss, ran in the same backfield as the great Marcus Allen, survived the tough streets of Watts, and battled racism in the early 70’s as an African American youth. Everyone has a story to tell, but Anthony Smith’s has chapters unlike anyone else around.

Anthony Smith, the go-to security guard here at Cathedral, grew up in circumstances most couldn’t imagine, and is here to tell the tale. It’s one thing to have a story, but having the charisma to tell it and tell it well is another. Anthony has seen it all and holds nothing back when sharing his story.

He didn’t have it easy, but he was raised by two parents who were strong-willed and determined to raise a genuine young man despite the tough neighborhoods surrounding their family. Growing up in the gang-run streets of Watts, a tough city in southeast LA, drug trades and street fights were a daily routine, and Anthony’s parents knew they had to get their son out as quickly as possible. The family moved south to San Diego just before the horrid riots of the mid-sixties.

High school came and Anthony needed to figure out where he was going. He could choose between Lincoln, Point Loma, and Patrick Henry. He chose Point Loma. Anthony’s spot with the Pointers was available as long as he agreed to join the ROTC program. “I didn’t like it. I had problems with the saluting, the uniforms. I didn’t like all the rules,” he said. He liked going with the ‘bad boy’ role, and often bent the rules. He was never big on uniforms and rarely wore his own during routine ROTC runs. Anthony said his commanding officer ended up giving young Anthony an ultimatum: “Wear your uniform for the next three days or I fail you and you lose football.” Anthony wore the uniform the first two days, but a mishap happened at the cleaners, and he was not able to wear it the third day. So, he lost his eligibility and left Point Loma.

Knowing he didn’t want to go to Patrick Henry, Anthony used a cousin’s address to enroll at Lincoln High School where the future Heisman trophy winner Marcus Allen was playing. It wasn’t long before Lincoln realized the faulty address, though, and Anthony was forced to leave for Patrick Henry which he “could not stand,” he said. Smith lost all his football scholarships at Patrick Henry due to a bad relationship with the head coach there. It didn’t take long for him to find a better opportunity, however. “I ended up running track, and I excelled,” Anthony said. So much so that he received a scholarship to run track at the University of California-Berkeley.

Football was still his passion when he arrived at Berkeley, and Anthony decided to give it one last go. He was warned that Cal’s Coach White wasn’t a fair coach, but ignored the warning. The two never got along, Anthony bad-mouthed him, and shortly after found himself leaving the school, which he claims is the “biggest mistake” he made.

He returned home and attended a city college, finishing his degree at San Diego State. At the same time, he held what he describes as the “greatest job in the world.” He worked at the San Diego Sports Arena as an usher, too young for security at this point. While at the Sports Arena, young Anthony had the opportunity to meet Stevie Wonder, Bob Marley, and more. Admitting he was more fond of R&B than reggae, Anthony did confess to enjoying talks with Bob Marley. “I never asked for an autograph because I wasn’t that type of guy. But Bob Marley was cool,” he said. He met Marley just six months before the star’s tragic death.

Once his days at the Arena were over, Anthony decided to try his hand in the restaurant business. In 1992, his sister and he opened up Old Hickory BBQ in Studio City, a suburb of Los Angeles. Things didn’t work out the way he predicted, though. “Make a long story short, it isn’t good to start a restaurant or any business with family, because things happened,” he said. From there, Anthony started working with social services. He was a mentor for youth with drug or alcohol addictions, by making sure they didn’t relapse. He would talk to the troubled kids who weren’t able to see the negative effects of substance abuse. He enjoyed this job a lot, as he has always liked working with kids.

He enjoyed working with kids so much that he eventually found his way to USDHS eleven years ago. And ever since then, he has been well-liked by many. Anthony is a servant of the CCHS community, by choice. He loves helping others and putting smiles on everyone’s faces. His humor, character, and devotion to the protection of the school makes him a blessing to the Cathedral Catholic community.

Senior Cole Wolfson has had the oppurtunity to develop a strong relationship with Anthony over the years. “Anthony’s a legacy for me personally. He’s a man with a story, that’s for sure. I know I can go up to him at any given time, and get a good laugh,” said Cole.

Anthony Smith is the arms and legs of Cathedral. He looks out for each and every one of us, never taking a day off. He’s a man with a story and with a heart to help others. Senior Alexis Castro recognized his dutiful presence and said, “Talking to Anthony Smith should be on every student’s Cathedral bucket list. He is a one of a kind guy.”