Neil Smith (American football)
McDonogh 35 (New Orleans, Louisiana) | |||
| College: | Nebraska | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| NFL draft: | 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2 | ||
| Career history | |||
| Career highlights and awards | |||
| Career NFL statistics | |||
| |||
| Player stats at NFL.com · PFR | |||
Neil Smith (born April 10, 1966) is an American former professional
Early years
Born in
Professional career
The Chiefs, who had the third pick, made it known to everyone before the 1988 NFL draft that they intended to take Smith. The Detroit Lions, picking second, threatened to pick Smith and the Chiefs were forced to move up one slot to make sure that Smith would be their pick.[citation needed] Incidentally, one of the draft picks the Chiefs surrendered in order to move up turned out to be star linebacker Chris Spielman. Smith's pre-draft measurables were head-turning. He was 6'4½", weighed 260 pounds, had a 7-foot-1½-inch arm span,[2] and ran a 4.55 forty-yard dash.[3]
NFL career statistics
| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the Super Bowl | |
| Led the league | |
| Bold | Career high |
| Year | Team | GP | Tackles | Interceptions | Fumbles | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmb | Solo | Ast | Sck | Int | Yds | TD | FF | FR | Yds | TD | |||
| 1988 | KC | 13 | 53 | — | — | 2.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1989 | KC | 15 | 67 | — | — | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 1990 | KC | 16 | 68 | — | — | 9.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1991 | KC | 16 | 65 | — | — | 8.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| 1992 | KC | 16 | 77 | — | — | 14.5 | 1 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| 1993 | KC | 16 | 55 | — | — | 15.0 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| 1994 | KC | 14 | 46 | 42 | 4 | 11.5 | 1 | 41 | 0 | 5 | 1 | 6 | 0 |
| 1995 | KC | 16 | 55 | 42 | 13 | 12.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 1996 | KC | 16 | 41 | 34 | 7 | 6.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1997 | DEN | 14 | 34 | 29 | 5 | 8.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1998 | DEN | 14 | 27 | 20 | 7 | 4.0 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 1999 | DEN | 15 | 31 | 25 | 6 | 6.5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2000 | SD | 10 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Career | 191 | 625 | 197 | 43 | 104.5 | 4 | 68 | 1 | 30 | 12 | 19 | 1 | |
Legacy
One of the top
Smith finished his 13 NFL seasons with 104.5 sacks, 30 forced fumbles, 12 fumble recoveries, 19 return yards, and 1 touchdown. He also intercepted 4 passes, returning them for 68 yards and a touchdown. He is the former co-owner of the
On October 22, 2006, Smith was inducted to the Chiefs's Hall of Fame.
Notes
Smith's trademark sack celebration, which consisted of him pantomiming swinging a baseball bat, was invented in tribute to another Kansas City sports hero,
There was a rule created in his name. The "Neil Smith" rule, enacted in 1998, prevents a defensive lineman from flinching to induce a false start penalty on the offense.
Neil Smith was a Co-Owner of the Kansas City Brigade, a team in the Arena Football League from 2006 until 2008.
Smith appeared as a panelist on the
The Kansas City Command retired #90 in his honor.
References
- ^ "Neil Smith". sports.nfl.com. Archived from the original on 29 October 2000. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ NYT online New York Times, April 24, 1988.
- ^ "Brown proves his speed to those who doubted", The Atlanta Journal-Constitution February 7, 1988.
- ^ "Best NFL Player by Jersey Number: 50-99". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
External links
- Stats from ESPN.com
- NFL biography, 1988-1998 (archived)
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
