Dwight Smith (American football)

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.

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
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2001–2004) New Orleans Saints (2005) Minnesota Vikings (2006–2007) Detroit Lions (2008)
Career highlights and awards
Super Bowl champion (XXXVII) Consensus All-American (2000) MAC Defensive Player of the Year (2000)
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

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.

External links

• Detroit Lions bio