William Lawrence Smith (born September 2, 1947) is an American former college and professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for six seasons during the 1960s and 1970s. Smith played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the University of Florida, and earned All-American honors. He was a first-round pick in the

1969 NFL Draft The 1969 National Football League draft was part of the common draft, the third and final year in which the NFL and American Football League (AFL) held a joint draft of college players. The draft took place January 28–29, 1969. The draft beg ...

, and played professionally for the

Los Angeles Rams The Los Angeles Rams are a professional American football team based in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. The Rams compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The Rams play ...

and Washington Redskins of the NFL.

Early life

Smith was born in 1947 in Tampa, Florida,Pro-Football-Reference.com, Players
Larry Smith
Retrieved July 9, 2010. and attended Thomas Richard Robinson High School in Tampa. As a junior in 1963, Smith was the star running back on the Robinson Knights high school football team, and led his team to Florida's first-ever state championship football game before losing to the Coral Gables Cavaliers 16–14.Katherine Smith,
Tampa Bay's All-Century Team: No. 29 Larry Smith
", ''The Tampa Tribune'' (November 28, 1999). Retrieved May 20, 2010. He finished his high school career with forty-seven touchdowns, and received all-county, all-state, and ''

Parade A parade is a procession of people, usually organized along a street, often in costume, and often accompanied by marching bands, float (parade), floats, or sometimes large balloons. Parades are held for a wide range of reasons, but are usually ce ...

'' magazine high school All-American accolades. FHSAA unveils '100 Greatest Players of First 100 Years' as part of centennial football celebration
, Florida High School Athletic Association (December 4, 2007). Retrieved May 26, 2011. In 2007, forty-two years after he graduated from high school, the Florida High School Athletic Association (FHSAA) recognized Smith as one of the "100 Greatest Players of the First 100 Years" of Florida high school football.

College career

Smith accepted an athletic scholarship to attend the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, where he was a tailback for coach Ray Graves' Florida Gators football team from

1966 Events January * January 1 – In a coup, Colonel Jean-Bédel Bokassa takes over as military ruler of the Central African Republic, ousting President David Dacko. * January 3 – 1966 Upper Voltan coup d'état: President Maurice Yaméogo i ...

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – "Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * Januar ...

.
2011 Florida Gators Football Media Guide
'', University Athletic Association, Gainesville, Florida, pp. 87, 91, 96, 103, 138–140, 147–148, 159, 162, 173, 185 (2011). Retrieved August 31, 2011. Memorably, Smith had a 94-yard touchdown run in the Gators' 27–12 victory over the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets in the 1967 Orange Bowl—while struggling to keep his pants up. His 187 yards rushing in the Orange Bowl resulted in him being named the game's "Outstanding Player." He finished his college football career with 528 carries for 2,186 yards and twenty-four rushing touchdowns, and 607 yards receiving. He was a first-team All- Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection in 1966,

1967 Events January * January 1 – Canada begins a year-long celebration of the 100th anniversary of Confederation, featuring the Expo 67 World's Fair. * January 5 ** Spain and Romania sign an agreement in Paris, establishing full consular and ...

and 1968, and was a first-team All-American in 1968. Smith was also the recipient of the Gators' Fergie Ferguson Award, recognizing the "senior football player who displays outstanding leadership, character and courage." Smith graduated from Florida with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 1970, and was inducted into the

University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame The University of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame includes over 300 former Florida Gators athletes who represented the University of Florida in one or more intercollegiate sports and were recognized as "Gator Greats" for their athletic excellence ...

as a "Gator Great" in 1983. In a 2006 article series written for ''The Gainesville Sun'', he was recognized as No. 29 among the top 100 Gator players from the first 100 years of Florida football.

Professional career

Smith was selected in the first round (eighth pick overall) of the 1969 NFL Draft by the

, and played for the Rams from to and the Washington Redskins in .National Football League, Historical Players
Larry Smith
Retrieved May 20, 2010. His rookie year with the Rams was his most productive season: 599 yards rushing and 300 yards receiving. After five seasons with the Rams, he was traded to the Redskins in as part of coach George Allen's effort to rebuild the Redskins with experienced players.Neil Amdur,
Larry Smith Is An Example Of Redskin 'Now' Idea
, ''The New York Times'', p. S4 (October 20, 1974). Retrieved June 29, 2010. He received few carries with the Redskins, however, accumulating only 149 yards in seven games, with no touchdowns.databaseFootball.com, Players

. Retrieved June 6, 2010. In his six NFL seasons, Smith gained 2,057 yards rushing on 528 carries for eleven touchdowns; he also had 149 receptions for 1,176 yards receiving and five touchdowns.

Life after football

Smith returned to the University of Florida to earn a master's degree in business administration in 1975.Hill, Ward & Henderson, Attorneys
W. Lawrence Smith
Retrieved May 20, 2010. In 1982, he graduated from the Stetson University College of Law with a J.D. degree, and is now a commercial real estate attorney with the Tampa law firm of Hill, Ward & Henderson. Smith is married, and he and his wife have two daughters and a son.

References

Bibliography

* Carlson, Norm, ''University of Florida Football Vault: The History of the Florida Gators'', Whitman Publishing, LLC, Atlanta, Georgia (2007). . * Golenbock, Peter, ''Go Gators! An Oral History of Florida's Pursuit of Gridiron Glory'', Legends Publishing, LLC, St. Petersburg, Florida (2002). . * Hairston, Jack, ''Tales from the Gator Swamp: A Collection of the Greatest Gator Stories Ever Told'', Sports Publishing, LLC, Champaign, Illinois (2002). . * McCarthy, Kevin M.,
Fightin' Gators: A History of University of Florida Football
', Arcadia Publishing, Mount Pleasant, South Carolina (2000). . * McEwen, Tom, ''The Gators: A Story of Florida Football'', The Strode Publishers, Huntsville, Alabama (1974). . * Nash, Noel, ed., ''The Gainesville Sun Presents The Greatest Moments in Florida Gators Football'', Sports Publishing, Inc., Champaign, Illinois (1998). . {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Larry 1947 births Living people All-American college football players American football running backs Florida Gators football players Florida lawyers Los Angeles Rams players Players of American football from Tampa, Florida Washington Redskins players