Billy Ray Smith, Sr.

Billy Ray Smith Sr.

No. 74, 83

Position:

Defensive tackle / defensive end

Personal information

Date of birth:

January 27, 1935

Date of death:

March 21, 2001 (aged 66)

Career information

College:

Arkansas

NFL draft:

1957 / Round: 3 / Pick: 26

Career history

Career highlights and awards

Super Bowl champion (V)

Career NFL statistics

Fumble recovered:	16
Fumble return yards:	20
Interceptions:	1

Player stats at PFR

Billy Ray Smith, Sr. (January 27, 1935 – March 21, 2001) was a National Football League defensive lineman (1957–1970). He was born in Augusta, Arkansas.^[1]

College career

After graduating from Augusta High School, Bowden Wyatt's Arkansas Razorbacks offered Smith a football scholarship, and in 1953, he enrolled at the University of Arkansas. In January 1955, Smith and the Razorbacks won the Southwest Conference Football Championship at the Cotton Bowl. In 1956, Smith was named to the first All Southwest Conference Team.^[2]

Billy Ray Smith Sr. was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1976, and enshrined into the University of Arkansas' Hall of Honor in 1994. He was named to the All-Decade Team of the 1950s, and the Arkansas All-Century Team. In 1999, Sports Illustrated named him as one of the "Fifty Greatest Sports Figures from Arkansas".

NFL career

Billy Ray Smith, Sr. began his NFL career in 1957, as the third round draft pick for the Los Angeles Rams. He was traded to the Steelers in 1958 and played for Pittsburgh until 1960. In 1961, he was traded to the Baltimore Colts. It was in Baltimore that he would make his mark on professional football. Nicknamed "The Rabbit" by his teammates, Smith became a mainstay and captain of a defensive line, which took the Colts to Super Bowl III and Super Bowl V during his career. His game motto was simple: "We always play for a shutout. Nothing fancy, nothing sensational. Just a shutout." Smith retired from professional football in 1971 after the Colts defeated the Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, ending his 13-year career.^[2]

Professional career

After retiring from the NFL, Smith became an investment banker. He was the father of 4 children. His son, Billy Ray Smith, Jr. was an NFL linebacker, playing ten years with the San Diego Chargers. He was also a two-time All-American with the University of Arkansas.

References

↑ "Billy Ray Sr. Smith". Pro-Football Reference. Retrieved January 2014.
1 2 Goldstein, Richard."Billy Ray Smith, 66, Lineman Who Played in 2 Super Bowls" - at New York Times. - Friday, 23-Mar-2001 - Retrieved, March 23, 2001

Baltimore Colts Super Bowl V Champions

15 Earl Morrall 17 Sam Havrilak 19 Johnny Unitas 20 Jerry Logan 21 Rick Volk 27 Ray Perkins 28 Jimmy Orr 30 Ron Gardin 32 Mike Curtis 33 Eddie Hinton 34 Tom Nowatzke 35 Jim Duncan 36 Norm Bulaich 40 Jack Maitland 42 Tom Maxwell 45 Jerry Hill 47 Charles Stukes 49 David Lee 50 Bill Curry 51 Bob Grant 52 Robbie Nichols 54 Tom Goode 56 Ray May 60 George Wright 61 Cornelius Johnson 62 Glenn Ressler 71 Dan Sullivan 72 Bob Vogel 73 Sam Ball 74 Billy Ray Smith 75 John Williams 76 Fred Miller 78 Bubba Smith 80 Jim O'Brien 81 Billy Newsome 83 Ted Hendricks 84 Tom Mitchell 85 Roy Hilton 87 Roy Jefferson 88 John Mackey

Head Coach: Don McCafferty Coaches: Dick Bielski Bobby Boyd Hank Bullough John Idzik Lou Rymkus John Sandusky

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