NFF College Football Hall of Famer Billy Ray Smith Jr. Passes Away

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From SportsDay Media

Billy Ray Smith Jr., the legendary Arkansas defensive end and 2000 NFF College Football Hall of Fame inductee, passed away July 29. He was 64.

"Billy Ray represented everything the College Football Hall of Fame stands for," said NFF Chairman Archie Manning. "He was an extraordinary player whose toughness and excellence helped define Arkansas football, but he was just as respected for the way he carried himself away from the field. He will always be remembered as one of our game's greats."

Smith contributed to one of the greatest family lineages in college football history. His father, Billy Ray Smith Sr., lettered two years as a tackle at Arkansas and earned All-Southwest Conference honors in 1956. Billy Ray Jr. expanded the family's reign from 1979–82, lettering four years while earning unanimous All-America honors as a defensive end in 1981 and 1982. Both father and son were named to the Arkansas All-Century Team.

Billy Ray Jr. served as Arkansas' captain in 1982. As a sophomore, he was named Defensive MVP of the Hall of Fame Bowl against Tulane. He finished his career with a school-record 63 tackles for loss and recorded 229 total tackles. He was named to the Dean's List and graduated with a degree in finance. Playing for College Football Hall of Fame coach Lou Holtz, the Razorbacks went 34–13–1 during his four years in Fayetteville, earning four consecutive bowl appearances: the Sugar, Hall of Fame, Gator and Bluebonnet bowls.

Selected with the fifth overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft by the Chargers, Smith played 10 seasons in San Diego (1983–92). After his playing career, he joined KGTV in San Diego as sports director and co-hosted a long-running radio show. He was also active with the Cerebral Palsy Foundation and numerous other charitable organizations.

Smith was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1997, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2015.

Born Aug. 10, 1961, in Fayetteville, Arkansas, Smith began his football career at Plano High School in Texas, helping lead the team to a state championship in 1977.


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