Jim Smith

James Arthur Smith (born July 20, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Michigan Wolverines from 1974 to 1976. He played in the NFL for six seasons with the Pittsburgh Steelers from 1977 to 1982 before starring on the Birmingham Stallions of the rival United States Football League (USFL). After the USFL's demise, Smith played a final season for the Los Angeles Raiders in 1985.

Early life Smith grew up in Robbins, Illinois, and attended Dwight D. Eisenhower High School in Blue Island, Illinois, where he earned All-Conference and All-State honors. In his senior year, he led the Eisenhower Cardinals to the South Suburban Conference title.

University of Michigan Smith was a flanker and wingback for the University of Michigan from 1974 to 1976. In three years at Michigan, he caught 73 passes for 1,687 yards (23.1 yards per reception) and 14 touchdowns. He also returned 51 punts for 525 yards, an average of 10.3 yards per return. He also ran with the ball 56 times for 394 yards, an average of 7.0 yards per carry. On November 8, 1975, in a victory over Purdue, Smith had a career-high 184 receiving yards on five catches, including an 83-yard touchdown that set a record as the longest pass completion in Michigan history. He was selected as a consensus first-team wide receiver on the 1976 College Football All-America Team.

Professional football Smith was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the third round (75th overall pick) of the 1977 NFL draft. He played for the Steelers from 1977 to 1982, backing up Hall of Famers Lynn Swann and John Stallworth and earning two Super Bowl rings in the process. Smith's best season with the Steelers was 1980 when he caught 37 passes for 711 yards and nine touchdowns. He had another strong year in 1981 with 29 passes for 571 yards and seven touchdowns. In 1982, Smith led the NFL with an average of 22.8 yards per reception. In order to persuade him to jump to the USFL, Smith was offered a sum greater than any NFL receiver was then making.

NFL career statistics Legend Won the Super Bowl Led the league Bold Career high

Regular season Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1977 PIT 14 0 4 80 20.0 26 0 1978 PIT 9 0 6 83 13.8 29 2 1979 PIT 15 4 17 243 14.3 25 2 1980 PIT 12 10 37 711 19.2 45 9 1981 PIT 15 3 29 571 19.7 46 7 1982 PIT 8 0 17 387 22.8 51 4 1985 RAI 6 0 3 28 9.3 14 1 79 17 113 2,103 18.6 51 25

Playoffs Year Team Games Receiving GP GS Rec Yds Avg Lng TD 1977 PIT 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1978 PIT 3 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 1979 PIT 3 0 4 41 10.3 14 0 1982 PIT 1 0 1 40 40.0 40 0 8 0 5 81 16.2 40 0