Dwight Smith (American football)

Dwight Smith
No. 26, 24
Position:Safety
Personal information
Born: (1978-08-13) August 13, 1978 (age 46)
Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Height:5 ft 10 in (1.78 m)
Weight:201 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:Central (Detroit)
College:Akron
NFL draft:2001 / round: 3 / pick: 84
Career history
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics
Total tackles:477
Sacks:2.0
Forced fumbles:10
Fumble recoveries:4
Interceptions:22
Defensive touchdowns:1
Stats at Pro Football Reference

Dwight L. Smith (born August 13, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a safety for eight seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Akron Zips, earning consensus All-American honors. He was selected by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the third round of the 2001 NFL draft, and he also played in the NFL for the New Orleans Saints, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions.[1] Smith earned a Super Bowl ring with the Buccaneers in Super Bowl XXXVII.

Early life

Smith was born in Detroit, Michigan. He attended Central High School in Detroit, and played high school football for the Central Trailblazers.

College career

He attended the University of Akron, where he played for the Akron Zips football team from 1997 to 2000. As a senior in 2000, he had 10 interceptions and was recognized as a consensus first-team All-American at defensive back along with being a finalist for the Thorpe Award.[2]

Professional career

Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand span 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
5 ft 9+5⁄8 in
(1.77 m) 		212 lb
(96 kg) 		29+1⁄2 in
(0.75 m) 		9 in
(0.23 m)		 4.57 s 1.65 s 2.65 s 33.5 in
(0.85 m)		 9 ft 6 in
(2.90 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[3]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Smith began his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2001 to 2004. Smith's career highlight came in the Bucs' 48–21 victory over the Oakland Raiders in Super Bowl XXXVII, in which Smith intercepted two passes from quarterback Rich Gannon, returning both for touchdowns. He was the first player ever to score 2 touchdowns on interception returns in Super Bowl history.

New Orleans Saints

Before the 2005 season he signed with the New Orleans Saints and played for them for a season. He was released in July 2006, after failed attempts to trade him.

Minnesota Vikings

Smith signed a three-year deal with the Vikings in July 2006. On February 20, 2008, the Vikings released him.

Detroit Lions

On February 27, 2008, he signed with the Detroit Lions. He received $5 million over 2 years. The deal reunited Smith with Lions' head coach Rod Marinelli and defensive coordinator Joe Barry, both of whom were assistants on the Tampa Bay staff when the veteran safety spent the first four seasons of his NFL career as a standout Bucs' defender.

Smith was released by the Lions on February 9, 2009.

NFL career statistics

Legend
Bold Career high

Regular season

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2001 TAM 15 0 28 23 5 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 3 1 2 0 0
2002 TAM 16 2 44 41 3 0.0 2 4 39 0 35 8 1 0 0 0
2003 TAM 16 16 74 62 12 0.0 1 5 3 0 3 10 1 0 0 0
2004 TAM 16 16 86 75 11 0.0 3 3 13 0 13 13 3 0 0 0
2005 NOR 15 15 73 63 10 1.0 8 2 53 0 28 7 2 0 0 0
2006 MIN 15 14 79 63 16 1.0 4 4 81 0 47 7 1 1 5 0
2007 MIN 14 13 52 45 7 0.0 2 4 112 1 93 9 1 0 0 0
2008 DET 10 7 41 33 8 0.0 1 0 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0
117 83 477 405 72 2.0 21 22 301 1 93 59 10 4 5 0

Playoffs

Year Team Games Tackles Interceptions Fumbles
GP GS Cmb Solo Ast Sck TFL Int Yds TD Lng PD FF FR Yds TD
2001 TAM 1 0 1 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
2002 TAM 3 1 12 12 0 0.0 0 3 100 2 50 3 0 1 0 0
4 1 13 13 0 0.0 0 3 100 2 50 3 0 1 0 0

References

  1. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  2. ^ 2011 NCAA Football Records Book, Award Winners, National Collegiate Athletic Association, Indianapolis, Indiana, p. 11 (2011). Retrieved June 24, 2012.
  3. ^ "2001 NFL Draft Scout Dwight Smith College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved December 28, 2023.