Omarr Ali Hasan Smith (born April 7, 1977) is an American

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...

coach and former

defensive back In gridiron football, defensive backs (DBs), also called the secondary, are the players on the defensive side of the ball who play farthest back from the line of scrimmage. They are distinguished from the other two sets of defensive players, the ...

. He played professionally for the

San Jose SaberCats The San Jose SaberCats were a professional arena football team based in San Jose, California. The SaberCats had been members of the Arena Football League (AFL) since 1995 (the year in which the team was founded); and until 2015, they belonged to ...

of the

Arena Football League The Arena Football League (AFL) was a professional arena football league in the United States. It was founded in 1986, but played its first official games in the 1987 Arena Football League season, 1987 season, making it the third longest-runnin ...

(AFL), and collegiately at San Jose State. In his career, Smith played for the SaberCats twice, from 2000–2002 and 2004–2008. He also played one year (2003) for the

Tampa Bay Storm The Tampa Bay Storm were a professional arena football team based in Tampa, Florida, US. It played in the Arena Football League (AFL). Originally the team was located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and operated as the Pittsburgh Gladiators. The ...

. He served as defensive coordinator with the rival Arizona Rattlers for three years (winning two championships). Smith has won seven total ArenaBowl championships as a player (4) and assistant coach (3); this ties the legendary Tim Marcum, who won seven as a head coach, for the most in AFL history. Smith was the head coach of the Los Angeles KISS and Baltimore Brigade of the AFL.

Early life

Smith attended

Bishop Montgomery High School Bishop Montgomery High School (commonly referred to as "BMHS" or simply "Bishop" by students) is a Catholic high school serving twenty-five parishes in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. BMHS was founded in 1957, and staffed by the Sisters of St. ...

Torrance, California Torrance is a coastal city in the Los Angeles metropolitan area located in southwestern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city is part of what is known as the South Bay (Los Angeles County), South Bay region of the metropolitan ...

. While there, he lettered in

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...

and track. He was a three-time all-league and two-time all-area grid choice.

College career

Smith played four years at San Jose State University and had 13 career

interception In Ball game, ball-playing Competitive sport, competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for ...

s, the second-most in school history. He joined the team as a walk-on in 1995 and was assigned to cover Keyshawn Johnson in his first collegiate

start Start can refer to multiple topics: * Takeoff, the phase of flight where an aircraft transitions from moving along the ground to flying through the air * Starting lineup in sports * Track and field#Starts use in race, Starts use in sport race * S ...

. He led San Jose State with nine passes broken up in 1996 and 16 in 1997. He tied for second in the nation in 1997 with seven interceptions and tied a school record with three interceptions against the

University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...

. Smith returned 22 punts for 246 yards and was the only player in Division I-A to rank in the top-30 in both interceptions and

punt return Punt or punting may refer to: Boats * Punt (boat), a flat-bottomed boat with a square-cut bow developed on the River Thames * Falmouth Quay Punt, a small sailing vessel hired by ships anchored in Falmouth harbour * Norfolk Punt, a type of racing ...

s. He had an 84-yard

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Scoring a touchdown grants the team that scored it 6 points. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchd ...

return at UTEP in 1997 and an 88-yard punt return for a touchdown against Fresno State in 1998. Smith had 74

tackles Tackle may refer to: * In football: ** Tackle (football move), a play in various forms of football ** Tackle (gridiron football position) A tackle is a playing position in American football. Historically, in the one-platoon system prevalent ...

as a sophomore, third-most on the team, and ended his career with 182 career tackles.

Professional career

2000

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, Smith played in eight games at WR/ DB as a

rookie A rookie is a person new to an occupation, profession, or hobby. In sports, a ''rookie'' is a professional athlete in their first season (or year). In contrast with a veteran who has experience, a rookie is typically considered needing more tra ...

. He posted 16 tackles, five passes broken up and five receptions for 48 yards. All five receptions on the season came in two games. He made his AFL debut with two tackles against the Houston Thunderbears. Had his first career reception and totaled two for the game with two pass break-ups against the Los Angeles Avengers. He recorded 2.5 tackles (a tackle for a loss) and a season-high three pass break-ups against the New England Sea Wolves. Smith had three receptions for 32 yards at the Grand Rapids Rampage. He recorded a season-high five solo tackles on the road against the Avengers.

2001

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, Smith was one of just four players to participate in all 14 games that season. He recorded a team-leading four interceptions and was fourth with 37 tackles earning team defensive MVP honors. He returned his first career interception 45-yards for his first career touchdown against the Arizona Rattlers. Smith missed a portion of the game after taking a knee to the helmet in Houston. He had his first catch of the season against the Oklahoma Wranglers. He had his second career interception and returned a blocked

extra point Extra, Xtra, or The Extra may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Film * The Extra (1962 film), ''The Extra'' (1962 film), a Mexican film * The Extra (2005 film), ''The Extra'' (2005 film), an Australian film Literature * Extra (newspaper), ...

attempt for the first two-point defensive point after try in league history at the

New York Dragons The New York Dragons were a professional arena football team based in the New York metropolitan area. The Dragons participated in the Arena Football League's (AFL) National Conference as a member of the Eastern Division (AFL), Eastern Division. ...

. Smith made his first-career start at Defensive Specialist (DS) intercepting an Andy Kelly pass late in the game, leading to a game-tying field goal in a game that the San Jose SaberCats won in

overtime Overtime is the amount of time someone works beyond normal working hours. The term is also used for the pay received for this time. Normal hours may be determined in several ways: *by custom (what is considered healthy or reasonable by society) ...

against the

Nashville Kats The Nashville Kats were an Arena Football League team, located in Nashville, Tennessee. They were last coached by Pat Sperduto, who coached the team's original incarnation to two ArenaBowl appearances prior to the original franchise's move to A ...

. He recorded career-highs of four catches for 86 yards and added his fourth career interception against the Florida Bobcats. Smith had the first two missed field goal returns of his career against the Thunderbears..

2001 playoffs

Smith played in both San Jose playoff games. He appeared in his first AFL playoff game replacing the injured Anthony Cobbs at DS against the Rattlers. He recorded 5.5 tackles and a pass break-up in Nashville.

2002

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, Smith played in all 14 games for a second straight season. He earned ArenaBowl XVI game Ironman honors. He set single-season career-highs with 15 receptions for 234 yards finishing fifth on the team. He finished second on team with 49.5 tackles and eight passes broken up. Smith started at DS and recorded a career-high 8.5 tackles and matched his career-best with seven solo tackles at the

. He had his first catch of the season against the Georgia Force. He was named the Ironman of the Game against the Los Angeles Avengers after recording two catches for 43 yards and a touchdown and five tackles along with a pass break up. He had his fifth career interception, and second returned for a touchdown on the road against the Orlando Predators. Smith recorded a career-long 37-yard reception on the road against the Buffalo Destroyers. He had the 20th reception of his career in Los Angeles. He was named Ironman of the Game after recording a 34-yard touchdown catch, his sixth career interception, and five tackles and two pass break ups against the Chicago Rush. Smith recorded a season-high three receptions against the Indiana Firebirds.

2002 playoffs

He caught three passes for 37 yards and had an interception for game Ironman against the Predators. Smith started ArenaBowl XVI and was named the game's Ironman after rushing twice for nine yards, catching four passes for 34 yards and totaling five tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery against the Rattlers.

2003

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, Smith started all 16 games at DS for the Storm. He led the team with 88.5 tackles, eight interceptions and 18 pass broken up to earn second-team All-AFL honors. He had an interception in four straight games. Smith equaled his career-high with seven solo tackles and recorded an interception in his first game with the Storm against the Carolina Cobras. He had a career-high two fumble recoveries on the road against the Las Vegas Gladiators. He matched a career-high with seven solo tackles against the Detroit Fury. Smith recorded the ninth and 10th interceptions of his career with his first ever two-interception game in

Indiana Indiana ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Michigan to the northwest, Michigan to the north and northeast, Ohio to the east, the Ohio River and Kentucky to the s ...

. He had an interception, two passes broken up and six tackles, all against the

Force In physics, a force is an influence that can cause an Physical object, object to change its velocity unless counterbalanced by other forces. In mechanics, force makes ideas like 'pushing' or 'pulling' mathematically precise. Because the Magnitu ...

. He was named game MVP after two pass break-ups and an interception in Carolina. He had his third career interception return touchdown against the Colorado Crush. He intercepted his eighth pass of the season giving him an interception in four straight games on the road against the

2004

Smith re-signed with the

on November 7, 2003. In

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, Smith, returning to San Jose, played in 15 games at DS earning first-team All-AFL honors, and became just the fourth player in team history with 100 solo tackles.. He led the team with 83 total tackles (71 solo). He tied for first in the AFL with a career-high nine interceptions. He was the team leader and tied for fourth in the AFL with 14 passes broken up and 23 passes defended. Smith was named the AFL's Defensive Player of the Week (Week One). He set career-highs with five assisted tackles and five pass break-ups on the road against the Fury. Smith was inactive with a

hamstring A hamstring () is any one of the three posterior thigh muscles in human anatomy between the hip and the knee: from medial to lateral, the semimembranosus, semitendinosus and biceps femoris. Etymology The word " ham" is derived from the Old ...

injury, the only game he missed all season, on the road against the

. He recorded the 100th solo tackle of his San Jose career against the Crush. He was named the Defensive Player of the Game after returning an interception 48-yards for a touchdown against the Las Vegas Gladiators. Smith moved into fifth place on team's all-time list with his 11th career San Jose interception on the road against the Dallas Desperados. He was named Defensive Player of the Game after recording an interception in his third straight game against the Rush. He recorded his single-season career-high ninth interception on the road against the Gladiators.

2004 playoffs

In the 2004 playoffs, Smith won his third straight championship. He started all 3 games at DS. He set a team single-game playoff record for total tackles (10.5) and solo tackles (10) in ArenaBowl XVIII.

2005

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, Smith started at DS for the first three games of the season before sustaining a season-ending knee injury. He recorded 20.5 tackles (18 solo), an interception and four passes broken up for the season. He became just the third player in team history to record 200 career tackles. Smith recorded his 16th career interception as a SaberCat (24th overall) along with two pass break-ups to earn Defensive Player of the Game against the Gladiators. His season ended when he left the game in the fourth quarter after sustaining a knee injury on the road against the

New Orleans VooDoo The New Orleans VooDoo were a professional arena football team based in New Orleans, Louisiana. They were members of the Arena Football League from 2004 to 2015. The VooDoo were the second team to play in the Arena Football League and play in ...

. The SaberCats placed him on

Injured Reserve 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 ...

(IR) on February 17, 2005 with a ruptured

patellar tendon The patellar tendon is the distal portion of the common tendon of the quadriceps femoris, which is continued from the patella to the tibial tuberosity. It is also sometimes called the patellar ligament as it forms a bone to bone connection whe ...

missing the remainder of the season.

2006

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, Smith returned from a serious knee injury and played and started 11 games at DS, including the final 10 regular season games. He began the season on IR recovering from the knee surgery. He totaled 41 tackles (38 solo), three passes broken up and two forced fumbles. He had three interceptions on the season giving him 27 in his career and 19 as a SaberCat. Smith returned two of his interceptions for touchdowns giving him the team's career lead. He started at DS in his first game since sustaining a knee injury in New Orleans on February 13, 2005, on the road against the Rattlers. He returned to the lineup after being inactive for three games starting at DS against the Avengers. In

Tampa Bay Tampa Bay is a large natural harbor and shallow estuary connected to the Gulf of Mexico on the west-central coast of Florida, comprising Hillsborough Bay, McKay Bay, Old Tampa Bay, Middle Tampa Bay, and Lower Tampa Bay. The largest freshwater i ...

, he recorded his 25th career interception which he returned 16 yards for a touchdown, his fifth career interception returned for a touchdown, to earn Defensive Player of the Game. Smith recorded his 18th interception of his San Jose career (26th overall) moving into fourth place on the team's career list, against the Austin Wranglers. He broke a tie with Greg Hopkins for sole possession of 20th place on the AFL's all-time career interception list with his 27th that he returned 42 yards for a touchdown, his fifth career interception return for a touchdown with San Jose (sixth overall) giving him the team's all-time lead, against the

Crush Crush may refer to: * Infatuation or limerence, the romantic attraction to another person * Puppy love, feelings of love, romance, or infatuation felt by young people Crush may also refer to: Film * Crush (1972 film), ''Crush'' (1972 film), a H ...

2006 playoffs

Smith started both games at DS. He was named Defensive Player of the Game after his fifth career playoff interception (third as a SaberCat), five tackles and a pass broken up against the Rattlers. He had 3.5 tackles, a pass break-up and a fumble recovery against the Rush.

2007

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, Smith started all 16 games at DB. He set team season records for most solo tackles (79) and total tackles (87.5). He tied Pat McGuirk for second on the team's career interception list with 24. Smith recorded 17 pass break-ups for the year to move into third place on the team's career list with 55. He recorded his 400th career total tackle, 365th career solo tackle, 100th career assisted tackle and 100th defended pass. He returned two of his five interceptions for touchdowns giving him eight for his career. He had the seventh longest fumble return in AFL history with 47-yards for a touchdown in a game against the Predators. He recorded his 300th career solo tackle on the road against the Avengers. He recorded his 350th career total tackle on the road against the

. Smith recorded his 20th career interception as a SaberCat, 28th overall, against the Crush. He recorded his 29th career interception and 330th career solo tackle, against the Avengers. He played in his 90th career regular season AFL game at the Arizona Rattlers on May 5, 2007. He returned his 30th career interception 50-yards for a touchdown, the third longest return in team history, against the Gladiators. Smith moved into a tie for 17th place all-time with his 31st career interception earning Defensive Player of the Game honors against the Rampage. He recorded his 400th career total tackle, on the road against the Kats. He had two pass break-ups, giving him 100 passes defended for his career, on the road at the

Utah Blaze The Utah Blaze was a professional arena football team based in Salt Lake City, Utah and competed in the West Division of the Arena Football League. Home games were played at the EnergySolutions Arena. In 2013, the team did not submit proper ...

. Smith had his 24th career interception as a SaberCat, tying Pat McGuirk for second place on team's career list, and returned it 36-yards for a touchdown, his eighth career interception returned for a touchdown and a team record seventh with San Jose, against the Rattlers. He recorded a season-high three pass break-ups in Las Vegas.

2007 playoffs

Smith started all three playoff games. He recorded nine tackles, his sixth career playoff interception and two pass break ups and earned Defensive Player of the Game in the SaberCats ArenaBowl XXI win over the Columbus Destroyers.

2008

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, Smith began the season tied for second on the team's all-time interceptions list with 24. His 32 career interceptions were good for a 16th place tie on the AFL's chart. Smith posted three interceptions in the American Conference championship game, setting a SaberCats record for postseason play; this matched his interception total from the regular season.

Coaching career

College

Smith spent time as the defensive backs coach at Whittier College and

Phoenix College Phoenix College (PC) is a Public university, public community college in Encanto, Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1920, it is one of the oldest community colleges in the country. History The college was originally a part of the Phoenix Union Hi ...

Arkansas Twisters

Smith was the defensive backs coach of the Arkansas Twisters of the

af2 The AF2 (often styled as af2, and short for arenafootball2) was the Arena Football League's developmental league; it was founded in 1999 and played its first season in 2000. Like its parent AFL, the AF2 played using the same arena football r ...

in 2009.

Arizona Rattlers

Smith served as the defensive coordinator for the Arizona Rattlers from 2010 to 2013.

San Jose SaberCats

In November 2013, Smith joined the SaberCats as assistant head coach. He was the assistant head coach from 2014 to 2015. He was also the team's offensive coordinator in 2014.

Los Angeles KISS

On November 4, 2015, Smith was named the head coach of the Los Angeles KISS. The team folded after the 2016 season.

Baltimore Brigade

On December 14, 2016, Smith was named the Baltimore Brigade's first head coach.

Head coaching record

Personal life

One of Smith's cousins is former

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners and nicknamed the Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member ...

safety Safety is the state of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings The word 'safety' entered the English language in the 1 ...

Tim McDonald. Smith has coached defensive backs at Whittier College. He has expressed a desire for a post-football career in broadcasting. He has covered various

high school football High school football, also known as prep football, is gridiron football played by High school (North America), high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular high school sports, interscholastic sports in both c ...

and

volleyball Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...

games and some

junior college A junior college is a type of post-secondary institution that offers vocational and academic training that is designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations or support roles in professions such as engineering, a ...

football games in

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

. Smith enjoys bowling and has partnered with teammates for a weekly outing during the season.

References

External links

Howard profile

San Jose SaberCats profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Omarr 1977 births Living people American football defensive backs Arizona Rattlers coaches Baltimore Brigade coaches Bishop Montgomery High School alumni Los Angeles Kiss coaches Morgan State Bears football coaches San Jose SaberCats coaches San Jose SaberCats players San Jose State Spartans football players Tampa Bay Storm players Texas Revolution coaches Whittier Poets football coaches Coaches of American football from Illinois Players of American football from Chicago