| No. 82 New York Jets | |
| Tight End | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: April 10, 1985 | |
| Place of birth: Penrith, NSW, Australia | |
| High School: Wentworth Falls (NSW) Blue Mountains | |
| Height: 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | Weight: 255 lb (116 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Metro State | |
| Debuted in 2012 for the New York Jets | |
| Career history | |
| * New York Jets ( 2012–present) | |
| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Career NFL statistics as of 2012 | |
| Receptions | 1 |
| Receiving Yards | 16 |
| Receiving TDs | 0 |
Hayden Smith (born in April 10, 1985) is a former professional rugby union player turned professional American football tight end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL).
Early life[]
Hayden grew up in the town of Bullaburra in the Blue Mountains outside Sydney, Australia. He graduated from Blue Mountains Grammar School. Whilst training with basketball team Sydney Kings, Hayden won a scholarship to play and study in the United States. He went on to study Finance at the New York Institute of Technology. Hayden transferred to Metro State College in Denver, Colorado where he completed his degree and moved from basketball to rugby union.
Rugby union career[]
As an Australian, Smith was very aware of rugby union but didn't start playing the sport competitively until 2008. Within weeks of starting he played for the All-American Team and following his graduation, had started to play with the Denver Barbarians. Soon after joining the Barbarians, he was named 2008 Rugby All-American[1]
Smith joined the professional English side Saracens FC in the 2008/09 season on an academy contract. He made his academy debut against Newcastle Falcons in the 2008/09 season. His performances for the academy team Saracens Storm quickly saw him elevated to the first team squad. Smith impressed to earn a first team contract for the following seasons in which he went on to play a total of 22 matches in both the Aviva Premiership and the Heineken Cup.
It was not just on the domestic stage that Smith impressed, he also was a regular with the USA Eagles, for which he qualified on residency grounds. He made his test debut on November 8, 2008 against Uruguay. Smith helped his country qualify for the 2011 Rugby World Cup during which he started all 4 group stage matches for the USA.[2] It was at the World Cup where Smith played his last match for his country, on September 27, 2011 against Italy.
National Football League career[]
New York Jets[]
Smith was looking at the possibility of playing in the NFL and had a workout with the New York Jets, Philadelphia Eagles, Dallas Cowboys, Washington Redskins and the New Orleans Saints.[3][4]
The New York Jets signed Smith on April 3, 2012.[5] He was waived on August 31, 2012.[6] A day later, he was signed to the Jets' practice squad.[7] On October 27, 2012, He was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad.[8]
References[]
- ↑ http://www.denverbarbarians.com/club-news/latest-news/372?tmpl=component&print=1&page=
- ↑ [1]
- ↑ Milham, Simon. "Saracens forward Smith hopes to land NFL deal". Daily Mail (London). http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/rugbyunion/article-2095710/Saracens-forward-Hayden-Smith-targets-NFL-deal.html.
- ↑ "Tight end guru sees big things ahead for Hayden Smith". National Football Post. http://www.nationalfootballpost.com/Tight-end-guru-sees-big-things-ahead-for-Hayden-Smith-4248.html.
- ↑ Cimini, Rich (3 April 2012). "Rugby star Hayden Smith joins Jets". ESPN New York. Archived from the original on 3 April 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/66egeUCm8. Retrieved 7 April 2012.
- ↑ Lange, Randy (31 August 2012). "Final 7 Cuts Announced, Roster’s Now at 53". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/6ALMtuxNK. Retrieved 31 August 2012.
- ↑ Jets Media Relations Department (1 September 2012). "Jets Announce Roster, Practice Squad Moves". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 1 September 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/6AMYfSBpo. Retrieved 1 September 2012.
- ↑ Jets Media Relations Department (27 October 2012). "Hayden Smith Promoted to the Active Roster". New York Jets. Archived from the original on 29 October 2012. http://www.webcitation.org/6BmYaDFT6. Retrieved 29 October 2012.
External links[]
- USA Rugby bio
- Hayden Smith on ESPN Scrum.com