- Jerry Smith (American football)
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For other people named Jerry Smith, see Jerry Smith (disambiguation).
Jerry Smith Position(s)
Tight endJersey #(s)
87Born July 19, 1943
Eugene, OregonDied October 15, 1986 (aged 43)
Silver Spring, MarylandCareer information Year(s) 1965–1977 NFL Draft 1965 / Round: 9 / Pick: 118 AFL Draft 1965 / Round: 18 / Pick: 141
(by the Kansas City Chiefs)College Arizona State Professional teams Career stats Receiving yards 5,496 Average 13.1 Touchdowns 60 Stats at NFL.com Career highlights and awards - 2× Pro Bowl selection (1967, 69)
- 70 Greatest Redskins
- Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
Gerald "Jerry" Sanford Smith (July 19, 1943 – October 15, 1986) was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977.
Professional career
Playing for Otto Graham and George Allen's Redskins, Smith had a stellar career. He played in the 1973 Super Bowl VII, and Sports Illustrated called him "an outstanding receiver among tight ends, with the ability to break open for a long gain." In his career Smith caught 421 passes, including 60 touchdowns, a record for tight ends at the time. He was named All-Pro twice and held several NFL records that stood for years.
Death
Smith died of AIDS on October 15, 1986. He was the first former professional athlete to die of the disease. Although he acknowledged that he had AIDS, he never publicly acknowledged his homosexual activities. Smith's sexuality was confirmed after his death by a former teammate, pro NFL football player David Kopay, who had come out of the closet years earlier. The Redskins logo, along with Jerry Smith's uniform number 87, was part of the AIDS quilt.
Sources
- Brief history of gay athletes, ESPN
- Who was the first gay football player to play in the Super Bowl? Jim Provenzano, Baltimore OUTloud
70 Greatest Redskins 21 Terry Allen RB 1995-98 • 41 Mike Bass CB 1969-75 • 20 Cliff Battles B 1932-37 • 33 Sammy Baugh QB 1937-52 • 31 Don Bosseler B 1957-64 • 53 Jeff Bostic C 1980-93 • 4 Mike Bragg P 1968-79 • 80 Gene Brito DE 1951-53, 1955-58 • 43 Larry Brown RB 1969-76 • 77 Bill Brundige DE 1970-77 • 65 Dave Butz DT 1975-88 • 21 Earnest Byner RB 1989-93 • 84 Gary Clark WR 1985-92 • 51 Monte Coleman LB 1979-94 • 53 Al DeMao C 1945-53 • 36 Chuck Drazenovich LB 1950-59 • 35 Bill Dudley RB 1950-51, 1953 • 17 Turk Edwards T 1932-40 • 44 Andy Farkas FB 1938-44 • 37 Pat Fischer CB 1968-77 • 28 Darrell Green CB 1983-2002 • 68 Russ Grimm G 1981-91 • 55 Chris Hanburger LB 1965-78 • 57 Ken Harvey LB 1994-98 • 56 Len Hauss C 1964-77 • 27 Ken Houston S 1973-80 • 70 Sam Huff LB 1964-67, 1969 • 66 Joe Jacoby T/G 1981-93 • 47 Dick James RB 1955-63 • 9 Sonny Jurgensen QB 1964-74 • 22 Charlie Justice RB 1950, 1952-54 • 17 Billy Kilmer QB 1971-78 • 26 Paul Krause DB 1964-67 • 79 Jim Lachey T 1988-95 • 14 Eddie LeBaron QB 1952-53, 1955-59 • 72 Dexter Manley DE 1981-89 • 71 Charles Mann DE 1983-93 • 58 Wilber Marshall LB 1988-92 • 73 Mark May T 1981-89 • 79 Ron McDole DE 1971-78 • 63 Raleigh McKenzie G 1985-94 • 53 Harold McLinton LB 1969-78 • 40 Wayne Millner E 1936-41, 1945 • 49 Bobby Mitchell FL 1962-68 • 30 Brian Mitchell RB 1990-99 • 81 Art Monk WR 1980-93 • 3 Mark Moseley K 1974-86 • 29 Mark Murphy S 1977-84 • 21 Mike Nelms KR 1980-84 • 52 Neal Olkewicz LB 1979-89 • 23 Brig Owens LB 1966-77 • 65 Vince Promuto G 1960-70 • 44 John Riggins RB 1976-79, 1981-85 • 11 Mark Rypien QB 1987-93 • 83 Ricky Sanders WR 1986-93 • 76 Ed Simmons T 1987-93 • 87 Jerry Smith TE 1965-77 • 60 Dick Stanfel G 1956-58 • 74 George Starke T 1973-84 • 72 Diron Talbert DT 1971-80 • 84 Hugh (Bones) Taylor E 1947-54 • 42 Charley Taylor WR 1964-77 • 7 Joe Theismann QB 1974-85 • 67 Rusty Tillman LB 1970-77 • 85 Don Warren TE 1979-92 • 25 Joe Washington RB 1981-84 • 17 Doug Williams QB 1986-89 •
Coaches
George Allen Head Coach 1971-77 • Ray Flaherty Head Coach 1936-42 • Joe Gibbs Head Coach 1981-92 •Categories:- 1943 births
- 1986 deaths
- American football tight ends
- Arizona State Sun Devils football players
- Bisexual sportspeople
- LGBT sportspeople from the United States
- LGBT Christians
- Eastern Conference Pro Bowl players
- People from the San Francisco Bay Area
- Washington Redskins players
- AIDS-related deaths in Maryland
- Gay sportspeople
- People from Eugene, Oregon
- Players of American football from Oregon
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