Randolph Smith (December 12, 1948 – June 4, 2009) was an American professional

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 ...

player who set the NBA record for consecutive games played. From 1972–1982, Smith played in every regular season game, en route to a then-record of 906 straight games (since broken by A. C. Green). In college, he was a Division II All-American basketball player, soccer player and track athlete. He was born in

Bellport, New York Bellport is a village in the Town of Brookhaven in Suffolk County, on the South Shore of Long Island, in New York, United States. The population was 2,084 at the 2010 census. The Incorporated Village of Bellport is named after the Bell family ...

College career

Smith was an outstanding all-around athlete at

Buffalo State College The State University of New York College at Buffalo (colloquially referred to as Buffalo State College, SUNY Buffalo State, Buffalo State, or simply Buff State) is a public college in Buffalo, New York. It is part of the State University of New ...

, earning All-American honors in three sports: basketball, soccer and track. At

Bellport High School Bellport High School is the public high school for the South Country Central School District, which is located in Suffolk County, Long Island in the United States. It serves students in grades 9-12 in Bellport, East Patchogue, Brookhaven Ham ...

on Long Island, Smith was a standout on the soccer and basketball teams, and also set a state high jump record of . However, it was on the basketball court that Smith shone brightest, teaming with Durie Burns to lead the Bengals to three straight conference championships, including a trip to the Final Four of the NCAA Division II Tournament in 1970, where Smith earned All-Tournament honors.

Professional career

Buffalo Braves / San Diego Clippers (1971–1979)

Smith surprised everyone in training camp, and he made the final roster cuts. Despite standing only 6-foot-3, he was assigned to play forward. He averaged 13.4 points per game in his rookie season. Smith continued to improve beyond expectation, drawing on his tremendous speed, quickness and leaping ability. His style of play, along with contemporaries like

Julius Erving Julius Winfield Erving II (born February 22, 1950), commonly known by the nickname Dr. J, is an American former professional basketball player. Erving helped legitimize the American Basketball Association (ABA), and he was the best-known player ...

, marked by fast breaks and "above the rim" ball movements influenced the offensive style of the NBA in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Playing alongside league scoring champion Bob McAdoo, Smith averaged 21.8 points per game in the 1975–76 season, and was named to the All-NBA Second Team. The highlight of Smith's career was the 1978 NBA All-Star Game, where he came off the bench to lead all scorers with 27 points, and was named the game's Most Valuable Player. Smith played for seven years for the Braves until the franchise became the

San Diego Clippers The Los Angeles Clippers are an American professional basketball team based in Los Angeles. The Clippers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the Pacific Division in the league's Western Conference. The Clipper ...

in 1978. That first year with the Clippers, Smith had his fourth consecutive season averaging over 20 points per game.

Cleveland Cavaliers (1979–1981)

In 1979, Smith was traded to the

Cleveland Cavaliers The Cleveland Cavaliers (often referred to as the Cavs) are an American professional basketball team based in Cleveland. The Cavaliers compete in the National Basketball Association (NBA) as a member of the league's Eastern Conference (NBA), Ea ...

, where he was named team captain and played for two years.

New York Knicks (1981–1982)

Smith spent the 1981 season with the

New York Knicks The New York Knickerbockers, shortened and more commonly referred to as the New York Knicks, are an American professional basketball team based in the New York City borough of Manhattan. The Knicks compete in the National Basketball Associa ...

Return to San Diego (1982–1983)

The next season, Smith moved back to San Diego for another season. On November 3, 1982, Smith played in his 845th consecutive NBA game, breaking

Johnny Kerr John Graham "Red" Kerr (July 17, 1932 – February 26, 2009) was an American basketball player, coach, and color commentator. He played in the NBA from 1954 to 1966, mainly as a member of the Syracuse Nationals. He later held several coaching a ...

iron man Iron Man is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character was co-created by writer and editor Stan Lee, developed by scripter Larry Lieber, and designed by artists Don Heck and Jack Kirby. The charact ...

record. The game was a 130–111 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers in which Smith started and scored 14 points. Smith's iron man streak ended at 906 games when he played his last game with the Clippers on March 13, 1983. He had requested to be waived to play for a contender late in the

1982–83 NBA season __NOTOC__ Year 198 (CXCVIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. At the time, it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Sergius and Gallus (or, less frequently, year 951 ''Ab u ...

and he missed a game while waiting to clear waivers. The record was later surpassed by A. C. Green in 1997.

Atlanta Hawks (1983)

Smith was traded to the Atlanta Hawks, where he played 15 games before retiring.

NASL

In early 1975 at age 26, while nearing the height of his basketball career, Smith turned many heads at a tryout for the expansion

Tampa Bay Rowdies The Tampa Bay Rowdies are an American professional soccer team based in St. Petersburg, Florida. The club was founded in 2008 and first took the pitch in 2010. Since 2017, the Rowdies have been members of the USL Championship in the second tier ...

of the North American Soccer League. The Rowdies' management had hoped to sign the two-time college soccer All-American for the outdoor season as one of their "required" American players; however, his contract with the Braves would not allow him to play professional soccer at the time. A year later while in between basketball contracts, the Rowdies gave him another look, but it wasn't meant to be. After a third and final tryout in 1977, Rowdies coach Eddie Firmani felt that the combination of playing pro basketball and not playing any soccer for so long had diminished Smith's soccer skills too much.

Post-NBA

After retiring as a player, Smith was an NBA league executive whose duties included assisting former players in need, and he was a coach in the

Continental Basketball Association The Continental Basketball Association (CBA) (originally known as the Eastern Pennsylvania Basketball League, and later as the Eastern Professional Basketball League and the Eastern Basketball Association) was a men's professional basketball m ...

before working at

Mohegan Sun Mohegan Sun is an American casino, owned and operated by the Mohegan Tribe on of their reservation, along the banks of the Thames River in Uncasville, Connecticut. It has of gambling space. It is in the foothills of southeastern Connecticut, ...

Uncasville Uncasville is an area in the town of Montville, Connecticut, United States. It is a village in southeastern Montville, at the mouth of the Oxoboxo River where it flows into the Thames River. The name is now applied more generally to all of the ea ...

, where he worked in marketing. Smith was inducted into the

Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame The Suffolk Sports Hall of Fame is an American sports hall of fame based in Suffolk County on Long Island, New York. The non-profit was established during 1990 to honor outstanding people, living or deceased, who have gained prominence and made ...

on Long Island in the Basketball Category with the Class of 1990. He was inducted into the Greater Buffalo Sports Hall of Fame in 1992. On June 4, 2009, Smith died in

Norwich, Connecticut Norwich ( ) (also called "The Rose of New England") is a city in New London County, Connecticut New London County is in the southeastern corner of Connecticut and comprises the Norwich-New London, Connecticut Metropolitan Statistical Area, ...

, after a heart attack during a workout. He's buried at the Forest Lawn East Cemetery,

Weddington, NC Weddington is a suburban town in Union County, North Carolina, United States. A small portion of the town extends into Mecklenburg County. The population was 9,459 at the 2010 census. It is a suburb in the Charlotte metropolitan area. The curre ...

NBA career statistics

Regular season

, - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 76 , , – , , 27.6 , , .482 , , – , , .622 , , 4.8 , , 2.5 , , – , , – , , 13.4 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 31.7 , , .443 , , – , , .727 , , 4.8 , , 5.1 , , – , , – , , 14.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 33.5 , , .492 , , – , , .712 , , 3.8 , , 4.7 , , 2.5 , , 0.0 , , 15.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 36.6 , , .484 , , – , , .800 , , 4.2 , , 6.5 , , 1.7 , , 0.0 , , 17.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 38.6 , , .494 , , – , , .817 , , 5.1 , , 5.9 , , 1.9 , , 0.0 , , 21.8 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 37.7 , , .467 , , – , , .762 , , 5.6 , , 5.4 , , 2.1 , , 0.1 , , 20.7 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 82 , , – , , 40.4 , , .465 , , – , , .800 , , 3.8 , , 5.6 , , 2.1 , , 0.1 , , 24.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United States ...

, 82 , , – , , 37.9 , , .455 , , – , , .813 , , 3.6 , , 4.8 , , 2.2 , , 0.1 , , 20.5 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Cleveland Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U ...

, 82 , , – , , 32.6 , , .452 , , .189 , , .823 , , 3.1 , , 4.4 , , 1.5 , , 0.1 , , 17.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 82 , , – , , 26.8 , , .466 , , .036 , , .815 , , 2.4 , , 4.4 , , 1.4 , , 0.2 , , 14.6 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

, 82 , , 40 , , 24.8 , , .465 , , .273 , , .808 , , 1.9 , , 3.1 , , 1.1 , , 0.0 , , 10.0 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

, 65 , , 16 , , 19.4 , , .489 , , .188 , , .863 , , 1.4 , , 3.0 , , 0.8 , , 0.0 , , 9.1 , - , style="text-align:left;", , style="text-align:left;",

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,71 ...

, 15 , , 0 , , 9.5 , , .439 , , .000 , , .929 , , 0.5 , , 0.9 , , 0.1 , , 0.0 , , 4.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 976 , , 56 , , 32.2 , , .470 , , .155 , , .781 , , 3.7 , , 4.6 , , 1.7 , , 0.1 , , 16.7 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", All-Star , 2 , , 0 , , 22.0 , , .714 , , – , , .833 , , 4.0 , , 4.5 , , 1.5 , , 0.5 , , 17.5

Playoffs

, - , style="text-align:left;",

1974 Major events in 1974 include the aftermath of the 1973 oil crisis and the resignation of President of the United States, United States President Richard Nixon following the Watergate scandal. In the Middle East, the aftermath of the 1973 Yom K ...

, style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 6, , –, , 37.8, , .400, , –, , .650, , 4.3, , 4.5, , 1.7, , 0.2, , 14.2 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1975 It was also declared the ''International Women's Year'' by the United Nations and the European Architectural Heritage Year by the Council of Europe. Events January * January 1 - Watergate scandal (United States): John N. Mitchell, H. R. ...

, style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 7, , –, , 40.9, , .476, , –, , .867, , 4.3, , 7.0, , 2.6, , 0.1, , 18.0 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1976 Events January * January 3 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 11 – The 1976 Phil ...

, style="text-align:left;", Buffalo , 9, , –, , 42.9, , .503, , –, , .837, , 5.8, , 8.6*, , 1.6, , 0.0, , 22.6 , - , style="text-align:left;",

1983 The year 1983 saw both the official beginning of the Internet and the first mobile cellular telephone call. Events January * January 1 – The migration of the ARPANET to TCP/IP is officially completed (this is considered to be the beginning ...

, style="text-align:left;",

, 2, , –, , 7.5, , .200, , –, , 1.000, , 0.5, , 2.0, , 0.5, , 0.0, , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" , style="text-align:center;" colspan="2", Career , 24 , , – , , 38.1 , , .465 , , – , , .816 , , 4.5 , , 6.5 , , 1.8 , , 0.1 , , 17.5

References

External links

Buffalo Sports Hall of FameThe book "Buffalo, Home of the Braves", complete narrative and photo history of the Buffalo Braves
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Randy 1948 births 2009 deaths 20th-century African-American sportspeople 21st-century African-American people African-American basketball players All-American men's college soccer players American men's basketball players Association footballers not categorized by position Atlanta Hawks players Basketball players from New York (state) Buffalo Braves draft picks Buffalo Braves players Buffalo State Bengals men's basketball players Cleveland Cavaliers players Continental Basketball Association coaches Detroit Pistons draft picks National Basketball Association All-Stars New York Knicks players People from Bellport, New York San Diego Clippers players Shooting guards Small forwards Sportspeople from Suffolk County, New York Association football players not categorized by nationality