Steve Smith (running back)

Steve Smith

No. 35
Position:	Fullback
Personal information
Date of birth:	(1964-08-30) August 30, 1964
Place of birth:	Washington, D.C.
Height:
Weight:
Career information
High school:	Hyattsville (MD) DeMatha Catholic
College:	Penn State
NFL draft:	1987 / Round: 3 / Pick: 81
Career history
Los Angeles Raiders (1987–1993) Seattle Seahawks (1994–1995)
Career NFL statistics
Player stats at NFL.com
Player stats at PFR

Steven Anthony Smith (born August 30, 1964) is a former professional American football fullback, playing 9 seasons in the National Football League with the Oakland Raiders and Seattle Seahawks. He was a team captain on Penn State's 1986 National Championship team.

Smith was a third-round draft choice of the Raiders in the 1987 NFL Draft. Converted to fullback, Smith blocked for Raiders star running backs Bo Jackson and Marcus Allen. He then spent 2 seasons with Seattle until a back injury ended his career. Although primarily a blocker, he finished his career with 1627 rushing yards and 13 receiving touchdowns.

In 1995, Smith won the inaugural Madden Bowl, a tournament during Super Bowl weekend in which current and former NFL players compete at the Madden NFL video game.

After football

Smith married former Raiderette, Chie Aguilar-Hiroto from Cypress, CA in December 1989. The couple have two children, Dante (July 1990) and Jazmin (Sept 1991) and live in Richardson, Texas. Smith has been afflicted with Lou Gehrig's disease since July 2002. He cannot speak because of a ventilator and receives his food through a feeding tube. He communicates via a state of the art computer system paid for by the The Steve Gleason Foundation, reported his wife.

Smith was the focus of an August 17, 2010, episode of HBO's Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel exploring how toxic proteins that form after brain trauma may cause Lou Gehrig's disease.

External links

• "Commitment to Acceptance", Paul Turse, raiderdrive.com
• Former Raider With ALS Wants To Help Others, The Dallas Morning News, July 19, 2003
• Former Raider fullback Smith battles illness, Genaro C. Armas, The Associated Press, December 29, 2006
• "Show of strength: Doctors told Steve Smith he was dying of ALS. He is now convinced that is not true", Frank Bodani, York Daily Record, July 11, 2004.
• "Former PSU fullback Steve Smith still has strength to fight", Frank Bodani, York Daily Record, July 15, 2010.
• “Former Oakland Raider, Steve Smith, and his fight against ALS”, ESPN Video.
• “Steve Smith, former Penn State and Raider Football Player, has ALS”, Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel, HBO, August 17, 2010.