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Neil Smith
File:Neil Smith Broncos.jpg
No. 90, 91     
Defensive end
Personal information
Date of birth: (1966-04-10) April 10, 1966 (age 57)
Place of birth: New Orleans, Louisiana
Career information
College: Nebraska
NFL Draft: 1988 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
No regular season or postseason appearances
Career history
* Kansas City Chiefs (19881996)
Career highlights and awards
* 2× Super Bowl champion (XXXII, XXXIII)
Tackles     582
Sacks     104.5
Interceptions     4
Stats at NFL.com

Neil Smith (born April 10, 1966) is a former American football defensive end in the National Football League. He played for the Kansas City Chiefs from 1988 to 1996, the Denver Broncos from 1997 to 1999, and the San Diego Chargers in 2000. Before his NFL career, he played for the University of Nebraska where he was All-American in 1987. He also co-owned an Arena Football team, the Kansas City Command.

Early years[]

Born in New Orleans, Smith graduated from McDonogh No. 35 Senior High School in the city.[1]

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. 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]

Interception Stats Defense Stats
Year Team Games INTs Yards TD FF FR Yards TD Sacks Tackles
1988 Kansas City Chiefs 13 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 2.5 53
1989 Kansas City Chiefs 15 0 0 0 1 2 3 1 6.5 67
1990 Kansas City Chiefs 16 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 9.5 68
1991 Kansas City Chiefs 16 0 0 0 3 2 10 0 8.0 65
1992 Kansas City Chiefs 16 1 22 1 2 2 0 0 14.5 77
1993 Kansas City Chiefs 16 1 3 0 4 3 0 0 '15.0' 55
1994 Kansas City Chiefs 14 1 41 0 5 1 6 0 11.5 42
1995 Kansas City Chiefs 16 0 0 0 4 1 0 0 12.0 42
1996 Kansas City Chiefs 16 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 6.0 34
1997 Denver Broncos 14 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8.5 29
1998 Denver Broncos 14 1 2 0 1 0 0 0 4.0 20
1999 Denver Broncos 15 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6.5 25
2000 San Diego Chargers 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0 5
Totals 191 4 68 2 30 12 19 1 104.5 582

Neil Smith at Pro-Football-Reference.com

Legacy[]

One of the top defensive linemen of his era, Smith made the Pro Bowl 6 times during his career (1991 to 1995 and 1997), and led the NFL with 15 sacks in the 1993 season. With the Broncos, Smith won 2 NFL championship rings for Super Bowl XXXII and Super Bowl XXXIII. In the 1998 Divisional Playoffs against the Miami Dolphins, Smith cemented the 38-3 Broncos victory with a 79-yard fumble return for a touchdown, and in Super Bowl XXXII, he recorded a key fumble recovery that set up a Broncos field goal.

Smith finished his 13 NFL seasons with 105 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 Kansas City Brigade of the Arena Football League.

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, Hall Of Famer George Brett.[4]

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 Nickelodeon game show Figure it Out.

The Kansas City Command retired #90 in his honor.

References[]

External links[]

Template:Chiefs1988DraftPicks

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