Aaron Douglas Smith (born April 19, 1976) is a former
American football
American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...
defensive end
Defensive end (DE) is a defensive position in the sport of gridiron football.
This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations over the years have substantially changed how the position is ...
for the
Pittsburgh Steelers of the
National Football League
The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...
(NFL). He was drafted in the fourth round of the
1999 NFL Draft by the Steelers and played for the team for thirteen seasons. He played
college football for the
University of Northern Colorado
The University of Northern Colorado (UNC) is a public university in Greeley, Colorado. The university was founded in 1889 as the State Normal School of Colorado and has a long history in teacher education. The institution has officially changed ...
.
Professional career
Pittsburgh Steelers
Smith was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 4th round, 109th pick overall, of the
1999 NFL draft. Smith played in every Steelers' game at left defensive end from 2000 through 2006.
Smith has been considered an ideal defensive end in Pittsburgh's
3-4 defense. Smith won a
Super Bowl ring
The Super Bowl ring is an award in the National Football League given to the team members of the winning team of the league's annual championship game, the Super Bowl. Since only one Vince Lombardi Trophy is awarded to the team (ownership) itsel ...
with the Steelers in
Super Bowl XL
Super Bowl XL was an American football game between the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Seattle Seahawks and the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Pittsburgh Steelers to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion f ...
, during the 2005 season. He recorded four tackles throughout the game.
After the 2008 season, Smith won another ring with the Steelers in
Super Bowl XLIII
Super Bowl XLIII was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champions Pittsburgh Steelers and the National Football Conference (NFC) champions Arizona Cardinals to decide the National Football League (NFL) champ ...
.
On February 27, 2007, the Steelers resigned Smith to a 5-year,
US$25 million contract. Through the
2007 season, Smith ranks ninth all-time on the Steelers sacks list.
[ After missing parts of three games with a knee injury early in the 2007 season, Smith missed the last four games due to a torn biceps muscle while playing against the New England Patriots in early December. Smith made a full recovery from the injury and returned to his starting position in 2008, recording 44 tackles and 5.5 sacks.]rotator cuff
The rotator cuff is a group of muscles and their tendons that act to stabilize the human shoulder and allow for its extensive range of motion. Of the seven scapulohumeral muscles, four make up the rotator cuff. The four muscles are the supraspi ...
in an Oct 10 win over the Detroit Lions. On Oct 14, the Steelers placed Smith on the injured reserve list
The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...
, ending his 2009 season.Ziggy Hood
Evander "Ziggy" Hood (born February 16, 1987) is a former American football defensive tackle. He played college football at Missouri, and was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first round (32nd overall) of the 2009 NFL Draft. Hood has als ...
. In 2011, he played in 4 games before being placed on the injured reserve list for a neck injury, marking the third time in three years that he had been placed on the injured reserve list.[ ] He was released on March 2, 2012.
On August 3, 2012, during a ceremony in Latrobe, PA, Smith officially retired from the NFL.
In 2017, Smith served as an assistant football & basketball coach at North Allegheny Senior High School in Wexford, Pennsylvania
Wexford is an unincorporated community in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States. The area known as Wexford is split among multiple municipalities, including Franklin Park, McCandless Township, Pine Township, and Marshall Township. It i ...
.
Personal life
Smith has three brothers named David, Stephan, and Kevin.
Smith and his wife Jaimie have five children: daughters Elliana, Elysia, and Emilia and sons Ezekiel and Elijiah. His son Elijiah suffered from acute lymphoblastic leukemia but completed his treatments successfully and is now cancer-free.Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is a home rule municipality in, and the county seat of, El Paso County, Colorado, United States. It is the largest city in El Paso County, with a population of 478,961 at the 2020 United States Census, a 15.02% increase since ...
, Colo.), he also lettered in basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...
and was a two-time All-Conference choice in both sports.
References
External links
Aaron Smith at NFL.comAaron Smith biography at Steelers.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Aaron
1976 births
Living people
American Conference Pro Bowl players
American football defensive ends
Northern Colorado Bears football players
Pittsburgh Steelers players
Players of American football from Colorado Springs, Colorado
Ed Block Courage Award recipients