Fred Smerlas
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| Fred Smerlas | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth | April 8, 1957 |
| Place of birth |  Waltham, Massachusetts |
| Position(s) | Nose tackle |
| College | Boston College |
| NFL Draft | 1979 / Round 2/ Pick 32 |
| Pro Bowls | 5 |
| Stats | |
| Statistics | |
| Team(s) | |
| 1979-1989 1990 1991-1992 |
Buffalo Bills San Francisco 49ers New England Patriots |
Frederic Charles Smerlas (born April 8, 1957 in Waltham, Massachusetts) was a 5-time NFL Pro Bowl selection during 14-year career as a nose tackle with the Buffalo Bills, and a has been with the San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots.
Smerlas, of Greek-American descent, graduated from Waltham High School in 1975, where he was a star football player and wrestler. He became a defensive lineman for Boston College before embarking on an NFL career. His 1990 autobiography, By a Nose, recounts his eleven years with the Buffalo Bills and their climb from cellar-dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.
Smerlas currently resides in Sudbury, Massachusetts and is a part-time co-host during football season on Sportsradio WEEI with Glenn Ordway on the Big Show, as well as a contributor to western New York radio stations WGR in Buffalo and WHAM in Rochester. He also co-hosts a Waltham cable-access show, called "Armchair Quarterback." Smerlas is an avid motorcyclist, who often rides to support various Boston based charitable organizations. Smerlas has been known to be an opportunist and hanger-on who uses his somewhat celebrity to sell overpriced items/tickets under the guise of "packages".
In December of 2006, Smerlas had his New England Patriots season tickets revoked, because according to Boston.com, he was scalping his tickets at a large markup by creating a ticket resale program "All Pro Celebrity Tailgate". Smerlas and Ordway were mentioned by name in the article, but both feel they did nothing wrong.
An investigation by WCVB-TV's 11-o'clock news, which aired on February 25, 2007 revealed that Smerlas's company All Pro Productions is the leading telemarketer contracter for police, firefighter, and similar agencies in Massachusetts. The investigation alleges that All Pro Productions' telemarketers misidentify themselves as police officers and apply pressure tactics to obtain donations. Further, it was noted that the company, on average, keeps 63% of the money donated while only 37% goes to the charities. In a telephone converation, Smerlas defended his telemarketers saying "they identify themselves", "are monitored", and "read from scripts" although he refused to provide a script. He also claimed that "60% is reasonable" given telemarketing costs.[1]
[edit] Bibliography
- Fred Smerlas and Vic Carucci, By A Nose: The Off-Center Life of Football's Funniest Lineman, Simon And Schuster, 1990. ISBN 0-671-70532-6
