Steven Anthony Smith (August 30, 1964 – November 20, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a fullback for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Los Angeles Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He was a team captain on the Penn State Nittany Lions's national championship team in 1986.

Steve Smith
No. 35
Position:Fullback
Personal information
Born:(1964-08-30)August 30, 1964
Washington, D.C., U.S.
Died:November 20, 2021(2021-11-20) (aged 57)
Richardson, Texas, U.S.
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:242 lb (110 kg)
Career information
High school:DeMatha Catholic
(Hyattsville, Maryland)
College:Penn State
NFL draft:1987 / round: 3 / pick: 81
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:1,627
Rushing average:3.8
Rushing touchdowns:9
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Smith was a third-round draft choice of the Raiders in the 1987 NFL draft.[1] Converted to fullback, Smith blocked for Raiders star running backs Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen. He then spent two seasons with Seattle until a back injury ended his career.[2] Although primarily a blocker, he finished his career with 1627 rushing yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

In 1995, Smith won the inaugural Madden Bowl, a tournament during Super Bowl weekend in which current and former NFL players compete at the Madden NFL video game.

NFL career statistics

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Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1987 RAI 7 3 5 18 3.6 15 0 3 46 15.3 32 0
1988 RAI 16 6 38 162 4.3 21 3 26 299 11.5 45 6
1989 RAI 16 16 117 471 4.0 21 1 19 140 7.4 14 0
1990 RAI 16 15 81 327 4.0 17 2 4 30 7.5 17 3
1991 RAI 16 16 62 265 4.3 19 1 15 130 8.7 37 1
1992 RAI 16 15 44 129 2.9 15 0 28 217 7.8 19 1
1993 RAI 16 13 47 156 3.3 13 0 18 187 10.4 22 0
1994 SEA 16 0 26 80 3.1 12 2 11 142 12.9 25 1
1995 SEA 9 7 9 19 2.1 4 0 7 59 8.4 17 1
128 91 429 1,627 3.8 21 9 131 1,250 9.5 45 13

Playoffs

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving
GP GS Att Yds Avg Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD
1990 RAI 2 2 9 37 4.1 7 0 1 5 5.0 5 0
1991 RAI 1 1 3 6 2.0 3 0 1 9 9.0 9 0
1993 RAI 2 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0.0 0 0
5 3 12 43 3.6 7 0 2 14 7.0 9 0

After football

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Smith married former Raiderette, Chie Smith from Los Angeles, CA in December 1989.[3] The couple had two children, Dante and Jazmin and lived in Richardson, Texas.[2] Smith had been afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease from July 2002 until his death. He could not speak because of a ventilator and received his food through a feeding tube. He communicated via a state of the art computer system paid for by The Steve Gleason Foundation.

Smith was the focus of an August 17, 2010, episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel exploring how toxic proteins that form after brain trauma may cause Lou Gehrig's disease.[4] He died on November 20, 2021, after suffering from ALS for almost 20 years.[5]

References

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  1. ^ "1987 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Armas, Genaro C. (December 29, 2006). "Former Raider fullback Smith battles illness". The Associated Press. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  3. ^ Turse, Paul. "Oakland Raider Steve Smith: Commitment to Acceptance". raiderdrive.com. Retrieved November 2, 2008.
  4. ^ O'Keeffe, Michael (August 17, 2010). "Boston University study by Ann McKee finds link between concussions and Lou Gehrig's disease". NY Daily News.
  5. ^ Steve Smith, Penn State and NFL 'Superman,' dies after long ALS battle
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