Minnesota Bar Owner Buys Infamous Whizzinator from Former Vikings Running Back
Former Oregon and Minnesota Vikings running back Onterrio Smith was so sure that he was going to make an impact in the NFL that he referred to himself as "S.O.D." for "Steal of the Draft." Yet his career lasted just three trouble-plagued and injury-filled seasons, and he's probably best remembered for getting caught at an airport for carrying supplies to help him defeat drug tests.
One of the items he used was called the Whizzinator, which was essentially a fake male genital organ that was designed to deliver heated urine. That device made Smith the punchline of many jokes and created a dubious piece of sports memorabilia, but at least one man sees some value in it.
Minnesota bar owner Matt Little was able to acquire Smith's Whizzinator for $750 at auction on August 28, and he told the St. Paul Pioneer Press he was prepared to go up to $1,000. Little plans to put the device on display at Buster's Sports bar and Grill in Mankato, where it will most likely stand out alongside the jerseys of Minnesota sports stars like Justin Morneau and Adrian Peterson (and soon, one suspects, Brett Favre).
The Whizzinator will be displayed with Smith's first contract and his draft letter, and there's no doubt that it will be a conversation piece. Will fans dig this particular slice of football history? Little thinks so.
"People are pretty interested in it," he said to television station KEYC. "There's kind of like a 'wow' factor, a giggling factor."
Known for some over-the-top promotions at his sports bar, Little also mentioned the possibility of trying to get Smith to come in for an appearance at some point. The running back has been out of football since 2006, when he made an unsuccessful attempt to make the CFL's Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
The exact provenance of the Whizzinator isn't known, but it came to auction after languishing in a storage unit for several years.
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