Updated at 3 p.m. CST Dec. 26

SHREVEPORT, La. — Four years, four bowl games. Of all the football players who have worn an ISU uniform, none can match what Tyson Smith is about to accomplish.

When Smith lines up at defensive end against Miami of Ohio in the Independence Bowl on Tuesday, he’ll become the first ISU player to appear in four bowl games.

The tough part for Smith was the all the pain and frustration he had to endure to get to this point.

The 2003 season was to have been Smith’s last at Iowa State, but he broke his right leg in the opener against Northern Iowa and was out the rest of the year. A long, grueling rehab followed and Smith was granted a medical hardship exemption that allowed him to return this season.

“I had to learn how to walk again, basically,” Smith said.

But he made it back and was a key contributor to a defense that helped the Cyclones (6-5) win a share of the Big 12 North championship and earn their fourth bowl bid in five years.

Smith played in the Insight.com Bowl (2000), Independence Bowl (2001) and Humanitarian Bowl (2002) his first three seasons with the Cyclones. Last year, with Smith watching helplessly from the sideline, Iowa State plummeted to a 2-10 record.

That was enough to make Smith work even harder to rebuild the strength and mobility in his leg.

“I really didn’t want to go out with a 2-10 season,” he said. “I really wanted to come back and play another year. That was a real bad taste in my mouth. I just wanted to come back and prove a point.”

He ran into more difficulty along the way. Shortly after breaking his leg, Smith was charged with domestic assault in a dispute with his live-in girlfriend and coach Dan McCarney suspended him from the team.

The charge was dropped three months later and Smith was reinstated. As he kept working, though, Smith wondered at times if the reward would be worth the effort.

“A lot of times last season I thought that, but I knew I was going to come back,” he said. “It was going to take awhile, especially getting through all the pain. But I’m real happy I came back and we had a successful season.”

Smith was hailed as one of the top prospects in McCarney’s 2000 recruiting class, a fleet pass rusher from West Des Moines Dowling who could harass quarterbacks and run down ball carriers.

He had some good moments his first two seasons, then blossomed as a junior in 2002, when he had six sacks and 11 tackles for a loss. An even bigger year was expected in 2003, but those hopes were dashed when he broke his fibula and tore ligaments in the fourth quarter of a 17-10 victory over Northern Iowa, the first game of the season.

The Cyclones also began this season against Northern Iowa and Smith was back on the field. Normally a quiet person who shows little emotion, Smith was charged up for that one.

“I wasn’t really worried about coming out and getting hurt again,” he said. “I played in the spring, through all that pain, so it didn’t really affect me then. But just coming out and playing, my adrenaline was rushing. It was a nice feeling to be playing again.”

McCarney certainly enjoyed having Smith back. Though he missed two games with a sprained knee, Smith still leads the team with five sacks and 10.5 tackles for a loss.

“Nobody says less or does more for our football team,” McCarney said. “You talk about a quiet warrior on the field — I’m really, really excited for Tyson and the opportunity he gets.”

He’ll get one more after Tuesday. Smith will play in the Hula Bowl in Hawaii on Jan. 22.

“There’s no bad bowl games,” Smith said. “I’ve been happy every bowl game I’ve been to.”