Robert Smith (running back)
No. 20, 26 | |||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||
Born: | Euclid, Ohio, U.S. | March 4, 1972||||||||||||
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 | |||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
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Player stats at NFL.com · PFR |
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. Currently, Smith serves as the Founder/Chairman of Fan Huddle, an on-demand digital wellbeing platform offering content on wellness, mindfulness and healthy living.
High school career
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]
College career
Smith narrowed his college choices to
Smith sat out the
Professional career
Smith was selected by the
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
NFL
- 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.[5]
- Holds the all-time NFL record for average yards per touchdown run at 27.2
NFL career statistics
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
Before retirement, Smith had a silent cameo role in the cult TV show, Mystery Science Theater 3000 in season 8, episode 3, The Mole People.
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
Today, 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."
Smith made a cameo appearance in the TV series Mystery Science Theater 3000. He was 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.
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
Smith is one of the
On ESPN on November 1, 2013, Smith openly admitted to fighting alcoholism during his playing career during an interview on
Smith lives in Texas.
References
- ^ "Ohio Associated Press Mr. Football award winners | College Football". collegefootball.ap.org. Archived from the original on December 10, 2013.
- ^ a b c "An Interview with Ohio State Great Robert Smith". July 6, 2014.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "1993 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 31, 2023.
- ^ "Minnesota Vikings Career Rushing Leaders - Pro-Football-Reference.com". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ "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.
- ^ "YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on April 9, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
External links
- Fox Sports – Robert Smith
- Career statistics and player information from NFL.com · Pro Football Reference