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Timothy LaRay Smith (born January 21, 1964) is an American former professional
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 ...
player who was a
running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offense ...
in the
National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a Professional gridiron football, professional American football league in the United States. Composed of 32 teams, it is divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National ...
(NFL) for the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
and the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. He played
college football College football is gridiron football that is played by teams of amateur Student athlete, student-athletes at universities and colleges. It was through collegiate competition that gridiron football American football in the United States, firs ...
for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Smith rose to fame after setting a rushing record in Super Bowl XXII.


Early life

Smith attended Hobbs High School, where he played football and basketball. He graduated with the state of New Mexico record for rushing yards (2,306 yards) and rushing touchdowns (31). He accepted a scholarship from
Texas Tech University Texas Tech University (Texas Tech, Tech, or TTU) is a public university, public research university in Lubbock, Texas, United States. Established on February 10, 1923, and called Texas Technological College until 1969, it is the flagship instit ...
. As a sophomore, he led the Red Raiders in rushing with 164 carries for 711 yards. The next season, he rushed for 97 yards on 7 carries and 2 touchdowns in the season opener against the
University of New Mexico The University of New Mexico (UNM; ) is a public research university in Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States. Founded in 1889 by the New Mexico Territorial Legislature, it is the state's second oldest university, a flagship university in th ...
, until he was hit after scoring his second touchdown, which resulted in a knee injury that kept him out of action for most of the year, finishing with 26 carries for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a fifth year senior, he suffered a fractured foot and ankle during an early-season practice, that sidelined him again for most of the season, posting 7 carries for 19 yards. He finished his college career after appearing in 28 games, with 292 carries for 1,313 yards and 8 touchdowns.


Professional career


Washington Redskins

Smith was selected by the
Washington Redskins The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East ...
in the fifth round (117th overall) of the
1987 NFL draft The 1987 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 28–29, 1987, at the Marriot Ma ...
, because of his combination of size and athletic ability. During his first season, although starter George Rogers was limited with different injuries, Smith had only carried the ball in four games. In the Divisional playoff game against the
Chicago Bears The Chicago Bears are a professional American football team based in Chicago. The Bears compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. They are one of two remaining ...
, Rogers wasn't playing well, so after he had only 6 carries for 13 yards, combined with an ineffective performance by his backup Kelvin Bryant, Smith was inserted into the game and responded with 66 yards on 16 carries, including 7 carries to run out the clock. In the NFC Championship game against the
Minnesota Vikings The Minnesota Vikings are a professional American football team based in Minneapolis. The Vikings compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. Founded in 1960 as ...
he had 72 rushing yards on 13 carries, contributing to a narrow 17–10 win. After his playoff performances, head coach Joe Gibbs made the decision to start Smith in the
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
, but only told this to starting quarterback Doug Williams and a few of his assistant coaches, in order to avoid rookie Smith being overwhelmed by the pressure. Smith was told about this decision before the pregame warmups. In Super Bowl XXII, Smith set a
Super Bowl The Super Bowl is the annual History of the NFL championship, league championship game of the National Football League (NFL) of the United States. It has served as the final game of every NFL season since 1966 NFL season, 1966 (with the excep ...
rushing record in his first career start, gaining 204 yards and scoring 2 touchdowns. His efforts helped lead the Redskins to a 42–10 victory over the
Denver Broncos The Denver Broncos are a professional American football team based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC West, West division. The team is headquartered in E ...
. It was his only significant achievement as an NFL player, even receiving recognition from the
NFL Films NFL Productions, LLC, doing business as NFL Films, is the film and television production company of the National Football League. It produces advertisement film, commercials, television programs, feature films, and documentary film, documentaries ...
as the #2 one-shot wonder in league history. His career was plagued with injuries and suspicions of drug use. In 1988, he didn't participate in offseason workouts and training camp, while his agent told Washington that Smith deserved a new contract that would have made him the highest-paid running back in the league. The team told Smith they would not give him a new deal, and he eventually reported to camp. But Smith was 25 pounds overweight when he did return to the team, and he had an up and down season, losing his starting position after the eighth game and not having a single carry for Washington's final 4 games of the season. Smith finished 1988 with 155 carries for 470 yards and 3 touchdowns. In
1989 1989 was a turning point in political history with the "Revolutions of 1989" which ended communism in Eastern Bloc of Europe, starting in Poland and Hungary, with experiments in power-sharing coming to a head with the opening of the Berlin W ...
, he was no longer seen as a good fit and was left unprotected—eligible to sign with any team under Plan B free agency.


San Diego Chargers

In the 1989 offseason, Smith turned down a $100,000 offer from the
Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. The Dolphins compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC East, East division. The team ...
, failed a physical with the Phoenix Cardinals and eventually signed with the
San Diego Chargers The San Diego Chargers were a professional American football team in the National Football League (NFL). The Chargers played in San Diego, California from 1961 until 2016, before relocating back to the Greater Los Angeles area, where the franch ...
for $250,000 on April 1. Smith suffered a severe left ankle sprain in training camp and was seen with a suspected drug dealer, leading to his release on September 5.


Dallas Cowboys

In May 1990, he was signed after having a tryout with the
Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC East, East division. T ...
. In that offseason, the Cowboys also acquired running backs Terrence Flagler from a trade and future
Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional football (gridiron), professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, 1963, the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of profes ...
r Emmitt Smith in the 1990 NFL draft. Because of the competition at the position, the Cowboys also tried him at fullback. On September 4, he was cut the same day the Cowboys traded for running back Alonzo Highsmith. He was brought back to play in the season opener, but was released on September 11, after rushing for only 6 yards on 6 carries.


Baltimore Stallions

In
1994 The year 1994 was designated as the " International Year of the Family" and the "International Year of Sport and the Olympic Ideal" by the United Nations. In the Line Islands and Phoenix Islands of Kiribati, 1994 had only 364 days, omitti ...
, he was signed by the
Baltimore Stallions The Baltimore Stallions (known officially as the "Baltimore Football Club" and previously as the "Baltimore CFL Colts" in its inaugural season) were a Canadian Football League team based in Baltimore, Maryland, in the United States, which played ...
of the
Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; , LCF) is a Professional gridiron football, professional Canadian football league in Canada. It comprises nine teams divided into two divisions, with four teams in the East Division (CFL), East Division and f ...
, but was released before the start of the season.


Personal life

In 2005, he was arrested for allegedly trying to sell
cocaine Cocaine is a tropane alkaloid and central nervous system stimulant, derived primarily from the leaves of two South American coca plants, ''Erythroxylum coca'' and ''Erythroxylum novogranatense, E. novogranatense'', which are cultivated a ...
to an
undercover A cover in foreign, military or police human intelligence or counterintelligence is the ostensible identity and role or position in an infiltrated organization assumed by a covert agent during a covert operation. Official cover In espionage, a ...
police officer A police officer (also called policeman or policewoman, cop, officer or constable) is a Warrant (law), warranted law employee of a police, police force. In most countries, ''police officer'' is a generic term not specifying a particular rank. ...
in
Denver Denver ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Consolidated city and county, consolidated city and county, the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous city of the U.S. state of ...
. Smith pleaded guilty in March 2006 for conspiring to distribute cocaine, and was sentenced to two and a half years in federal prison that May. Smith was released from federal prison on March 3, 2008.


References


External links


Timmy Smith's Career Statistics
(sportspool.com)
Free-Fall from the Top
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Timmy 1964 births Living people People from Hobbs, New Mexico Sportspeople from Lea County, New Mexico Players of American football from New Mexico American football running backs Texas Tech Red Raiders football players Washington Redskins players Dallas Cowboys players American people convicted of drug offenses Prisoners and detainees of the United States federal government