{"id":17203,"date":"2025-05-09T22:55:10","date_gmt":"2025-05-10T02:55:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/?page_id=17203"},"modified":"2025-07-21T16:22:28","modified_gmt":"2025-07-21T20:22:28","slug":"jerry-smith-profile","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/jerry-smith-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Jerry Smith Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div class=\"gb-element-22501789\">\n<div class=\"gb-element-365a0fc8\">\n<p>Jerry Smith was one of the most innovative and trailblazing tight ends in NFL history, carving out a legacy as a dynamic pass catcher and a key figure for the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1977. Known for his exceptional receiving skills, Smith was one of the first tight ends to be used primarily as a receiving weapon rather than a <em>mere<\/em> blocker. A two-time Pro Bowler and member of the Washington Ring of Fame, Smith&#8217;s career was as groundbreaking as it was record-setting. His 60 career touchdowns were a tight end record at the time and remain one of the most remarkable achievements in NFL history. Despite facing personal challenges, including a battle with HIV\/AIDS, Smith\u2019s legacy as a pioneer and an LGBTQ+ trailblazer has only grown in recognition over the years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jerry Smith Vitals<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Position: <strong>Tight End<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Born: <strong>Eugene, Oregon<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Date-of-Birth: <strong>July 19, 1943<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Height: <strong>6&#8217;3&#8243;<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Weight: <strong>208 lbs<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>College: <strong>Arizona State<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>NFL Career: <strong>13 seasons, 168 games<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Teams: <strong>Washington 1965-1977<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Career Highlights<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Two time Pro Bowl selection (1967, 1969)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 First Team All Pro (1969)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Second Team All Pro (1967)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Named to the Washington Ring of Fame<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Named one of the 80 Greatest Redskins<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u2022 Named to the College Football Hall of Fame<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jerry Smith: A Trailblazing Tight End<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Jerry Smith played as a tight end in the National Football League for thirteen seasons. All of them as a member of the Washington Redskins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was born on July 19, 1943, in Eugene, Oregon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith sttended Arizona State University, but did not play football until his Junior season. He joined the team as a walk on in 1964 and played wide receiver. He caught 9 passes for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns in 9 games.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He converted to a tight end the following season, and caught 42 passes for 618 yards and 5 touchdowns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Jerry Smith Redskins Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>After graduating from Arizona State, Washington selected him in the ninth round &#8211; 118th overall &#8211; of the 1965 NFL Draft. He was also drafted in the 18th round of the 1965 AFL Draft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith would play&nbsp;for the Redskins from 1965 to 1977, and would become one of the most prolific tight ends in NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Smith&#8217;s best year came in 1967, when he caught 67 passes for 849 yards and 12 touchdowns. He helped lead the team to a division title that season and <strong>earned<\/strong> his first All-Pro selection. <strong>He also made<\/strong> the Pro Bowl.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He had another outstanding season in 1969, catching 56 passes for 849 yards and 9 touchdowns and earning his second Pro Bowl selection and also a First Team All pro selection.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On the field, Smith <strong>demonstrated<\/strong> exceptional receiving skills and <strong>consistently scored<\/strong> touchdowns. He <strong>became<\/strong> one of the first tight ends in NFL history to function as a primary receiver, rather than simply as a blocker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Record Breaker<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Over the course of his career, Smith played in 168 games and started 134 of them. He&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.pro-football-reference.com\/players\/S\/SmitJe01.htm\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">caught 421 passes for 5,496 yards and 60 touchdowns<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, those 60 touchdowns were the eighth-most receiving touchdowns in NFL history at the time of his retirement. Moreover it was the single most ever for a tight end and still stands as the 17th most in NFL history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>That record for tight ends stood for 27 years, but was eventually beaten by Shannon Sharpe in 2003.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>&#8220;In 2013, <strong>the Washington Redskins inducted Smith<\/strong> into their Ring of Fame, and in 2020, <strong>the National Football Foundation inducted him<\/strong> into the College Football Hall of Fame.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Trailblazer<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In 1976, journalist Lynn Rosellini of the Washington Star approached Smith about a piece she was doing about gay people in sports. Smith agreed to contribute on the grounds that his name, team and position were not mentioned. In her article, <strong>Rosellini described<\/strong> Smith&#8217;s &#8220;hands&#8221; and <strong>his teammate Dave Kopay figured out<\/strong> who Rosellini was talking about.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Kopay would come out himself in 1972, after his football career was over. He talked about a sexual encounter with Smith in his autobiography but kept Smith&#8217;s name out of the story. Smith never spoke to Kopay again after the book was released.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Unfortunately Smith would die of AIDS in 1986 at the age of just 43 years old. He was the first former professional athlete to succumb to the disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">After Death<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>While Smith was not publicly out as a gay man during his playing career, many recognize him as a pioneer and trailblazer for LGBTQ+ athletes in professional sports. Since his passing, organizations and individuals have acknowledged his significant impact on both the sport and society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Many years later, team mate Brig Owens said that Smith lived in fear as a result of believing that if people found out that he as gay, his football career would be over. Indeed, Owens was Smith&#8217;s best friend on the team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Center Len Hauss was a close friend as well. One time a Redskin player made what was likely a gay slur about Smith, and Hauss made it clear that the word was not to ever be used in the locker room again. And apparently it never was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In 2014, the NFL Network ran a show called <em>A Football Life: Jerry Smith<\/em>. It detailed Smith&#8217;s career and his death from AIDS.The show <strong>intertwined interviews<\/strong> with Brig Owens throughout. <strong>Interviewers asked<\/strong> Owens if Smith belonged in the Hall of Fame. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Owens stated emphatically that Smith would already be in the Hall of Fame if he wasn&#8217;t gay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.the-hogs.net\/blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/05\/legends-banner-960x180.jpg\" alt=\"Legends Banner\" class=\"wp-image-520053\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"gb-element-93d86c0f\">\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Explore More Washington Team History<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>For more great Redskins and Commanders history, use the links in the right side bar, or go to the <a href=\"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/washington-football-team-history\">History Content Hub<\/a> and choose your next history destination from there.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Jerry Smith was one of the most innovative and trailblazing tight ends in NFL history, carving out a legacy as a dynamic pass catcher and a key figure for the Washington Redskins from 1965 to 1977. Known for his exceptional receiving skills, Smith was one of the first tight ends to be used primarily as &#8230; <a title=\"Jerry Smith Profile\" class=\"read-more\" href=\"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/jerry-smith-profile\/\" aria-label=\"Read more about Jerry Smith Profile\">Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":587592,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-17203","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.4 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Jerry Smith Profile | The-Hogs.net<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Discover the legacy of Jerry Smith, a trailblazing tight end for the Washington Redskins - 2-time Pro Bowler, record-setter, &amp; LGBTQ+ pioneer.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/the-hogs.net\/blogs\/jerry-smith-profile\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Jerry Smith Profile | The-Hogs.net\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Discover the legacy of Jerry Smith, a trailblazing tight end for the Washington Redskins - 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