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Robert Smith (running back)

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For other people named Robert Smith, see Robert Smith (disambiguation).

Robert Smith
No. 20, 26
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1972-03-04) March 4, 1972 (age 52)
Euclid, Ohio, U.S.
Height:6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:210 lb (95 kg)
Career information
High school:Euclid
College:Ohio State
NFL draft:1993 / round: 1 / pick: 21
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:6,818
Rushing average:4.8
Rushing touchdowns:32
Receptions:178
Receiving yards:1,292
Receiving touchdowns:6
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Robert Scott Smith (born March 4, 1972) is an American college football analyst for Fox Sports and the Big Ten Network. He played professionally as a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for eight seasons with the Minnesota Vikings, and played college football for the Ohio State Buckeyes.

Early life

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Born and raised in Euclid, Ohio, a suburb on the northeastern border of Cleveland, Smith became the first player to win Ohio's Mr. Football Award twice (in 1988 and 1989). As a junior at Euclid High School, he gained 1,564 yards on 177 rushes (8.8 yards per carry) and averaged 31 yards on 10 punt returns. In his senior season in 1989, he gained 2,042 yards on 203 carries and scored 31 touchdowns and was awarded the Bobby Dodd National Back of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Atlanta. During his Panthers' career, he rushed for a total of 5,038 yards on 548 carries with 67 touchdowns.[1]

In track and field, Smith posted personal best times of 10.68 seconds in the 100 meters, 21.10 seconds in the 200 meters, and 46.41 seconds in the 400 meters.[2][3][4][5]

College career

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Smith narrowed his college choices to Miami, USC, UCLA, and Ohio State. In his two seasons with the Buckeyes (1990, 1992), Smith ran for a total of 1,945 yards, leading the team both years. As a freshman in 1990, he had a personal-best 1,126 yards (88.4 yards per game), and rushed for 8 touchdowns.[6]

Smith sat out the 1991 football season, switching to a track and field scholarship, and posted a personal-best time of 10.24 seconds in the 100 meters for the Buckeyes.[6][7] He seriously considered transferring to either USC or Stanford in the Pac-10 to play football; Ohio State coach John Cooper had kept the door open for Smith to return to the Buckeyes' football team, and he did in 1992.[6]

Professional career

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Smith was selected by the Minnesota Vikings in the first round of the 1993 NFL draft, the 21st overall pick.[8] He suffered from a number of ailments in his first few seasons, such as injuries to both knees and ankles along with chicken pox. He finally broke through in 1997 with 1,266 yards rushing. Smith's finest year as a pro came in 2000 at age 28, leading the NFC in rushing with 1,521 yards. Not long after the season ended, it was discovered during a doctor's appointment that he would need surgery on his knee, which would be the third time he would need it in his career. On February 6, 2000, he announced his retirement.[9][10]

In eight NFL seasons, Smith rushed for 6,818 yards and 32 touchdowns, along with 178 receptions for 1,292 yards and 6 touchdowns, and only nine fumbles. He also returned 1 punt for 4 yards and 19 kickoffs for a total of 460 yards. Smith wore number 20 as a rookie in 1993, but switched to number 26 when it became available in 1994 and wore it until his retirement.

Records

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NFL

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  • Second all-time Minnesota Vikings record for career rushing yards (6,818). Passed by Adrian Peterson on September 9, 2012. The previous record was 5,887; which was set in 1979 by Chuck Foreman.[11]
  • Holds the all-time NFL record for average yards per touchdown run at 27.2

NFL career statistics

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Year Team Games Rushing Receiving Fumbles
GP GS Att Yds Avg Y/G Lng TD Rec Yds Avg Lng TD Fum FR
1993 MIN 10 2 82 399 4.9 39.9 26 2 24 111 4.6 12 0 – –
1994 MIN 14 0 31 106 3.4 7.6 14 1 15 105 7.0 15 0 – –
1995 MIN 9 7 139 632 4.5 70.2 58 5 7 35 5.0 11 0 1 0
1996 MIN 8 7 162 692 4.3 86.5 57 3 7 39 5.6 16 0 2 1
1997 MIN 14 14 232 1,266 5.5 90.4 78 6 37 197 5.3 20 1 0 1
1998 MIN 14 14 249 1,187 4.8 84.8 74 6 28 291 10.4 12 2 1 0
1999 MIN 13 12 221 1,015 4.6 78.1 70 2 24 166 6.9 34 0 1 0
2000 MIN 16 16 295 1,521 5.2 95.1 72 7 36 348 9.7 53 3 4 3
Career 98 72 1,411 6,818 4.8 69.6 78 32 178 1,292 7.3 67 6 9 5

After retirement

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Before retirement, Smith made a cameo appearance in the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000, in Season 8 Episode 3 The Mole People. He played a scantily clad, mute "hunk" given to Pearl (the series' antagonist) as a present by her minions.

Smith retired after only eight seasons in the NFL. He walked away from the game to pursue a career in medicine as well as to avoid any serious injuries. He has maintained a mostly private life since his retirement. He has mainly appeared as a guest on the ESPN news program Outside the Lines, as well FS1 UNDISPUTED as a college football analyst on various ESPN programs alongside regulars Rece Davis, Mark May, and Lou Holtz. Smith also works on the NFL Network as an analyst and has appeared on The Score to discuss the NFL.

Smith is the founder and chairman of Fan Huddle, an on-demand wellness platform featuring content hosted by professional athletes and experts.

In May 2016, Smith left ESPN to work for Fox Sports and is currently an NFL game analyst on Fox Sports, paired with Chris Myers.

Smith founded the Robert Smith Foundation, a charity whose goal is to "provide financial and moral support for Children's hospitals and cancer research."

2004 saw publication of Smith's book The Rest of the Iceberg: An Insider's View on the World of Sport and Celebrity. In it he discussed his background, his time at Ohio State and the NFL, and why he retired. He also analyzed the obsession placed on sports stars by the public.

Smith is an agnostic.[12]

Smith is one of the amateur astronomers featured in science writer Timothy Ferris's 2007 PBS program, Seeing in the Dark, based on his 2002 book of the same name.

On ESPN on November 1, 2013, Smith openly admitted to fighting alcoholism during his playing career during an interview on SportsCenter. He explained he sought counseling and has been sober since the birth of his son, and that his family is his daily motivation to stay sober. He also appeared on ESPN's First Take with Stephen A. Smith and Skip Bayless talking about his alcoholism.[13]

Smith lives in Texas.

References

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  1. ^ "Ohio Associated Press Mr. Football award winners | College Football". collegefootball.ap.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013.
  2. ^ Rabin, Mike (February 10, 1990). "Ohio's Robert Smith Nation's No. 1 Recruit". UPI.
  3. ^ Podolski, Mark (July 10, 2008). "Great time … at a bad time". The News-Herald (Ohio).
  4. ^ "Class 3A Boys Results". milesplit.com. Retrieved May 18, 2024.
  5. ^ 1989 Ohio High School Track & Field State Championships - Boys AAA 400m Final.wmv. May 1, 2011. Event occurs at 00:01 – via YouTube.
  6. ^ a b c "An Interview with Ohio State Great Robert Smith". July 6, 2014.
  7. ^ "Robert Smith, a standout tailback at Ohio State, quit - 09.09.91 - SI Vault". Archived from the original on January 14, 2011. Retrieved January 7, 2011.
  8. ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
  9. ^ http://static.espn.go.com/nfl/news/2001/0207/1068054.html
  10. ^ "Inside Slant: For Robert Smith, no end to the path for health". May 14, 2015.
  11. ^ "Minnesota Vikings Career Rushing Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
  12. ^ "robert smith on Twitter: "I am not atheist, I am agnostic, I think it's a question beyond our understanding and certainly existing knowledge."". Twitter. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  13. ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
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