Rod Smart

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Rod Smart
Date of birth January 9, 1977
Place of birth Flag of United States Lakeland, Florida
Position(s) Running Back, Kick Returner
College Western Kentucky
Team(s)
2000
2000
2001
2001
2002-2005
2006 (Pre-season)		 San Diego Chargers
Edmonton Eskimos (CFL)
Las Vegas Outlaws (XFL)
Philadelphia Eagles
Carolina Panthers
Oakland Raiders

Torrold D. "Rod" Smart (born January 9, 1977, Lakeland, Florida) is a former professional American football player. He has played in Super Bowl XXXVIII for the Carolina Panthers as a kick returner/running back, and has also played for the Philadelphia Eagles, the San Diego Chargers, and, most recently, the Oakland Raiders. Smart has played for the Canadian Football League Edmonton Eskimos, and infamously for the short-lived XFL Las Vegas Outlaws. Smart is perhaps best known for his Outlaws' jersey name He Hate Me.

Contents

[edit] College career

Smart attended Western Kentucky University after a stand out football (running back/cornerback) and track career at Lakeland (Florida) High School. He ended his career at Western Kentucky ranked eighth all-time in school history with 2,305 rushing yards on 356 carries with 21 touchdowns. Smart also totaled 115 receiving yards, 279 kickoff return yards, and 14 yards on punt returns. Smart started all 11 games as a senior in 1999 and was a first-team All-Gateway Conference selection. In his senior season, Smart led the Hilltoppers with 1,249 yards rushing and 10 touchdowns on 188 carries, for a 6.6 yard average, while his all purpose yards and rushing yards ranked fifth and sixth respectively in school history for a single season.[1] Smart graduated with a degree in Recreational Science.[2]

[edit] Professional career

[edit] San Diego Chargers & Edmonton Eskimos Training Camps

Smart signed with the San Diego Chargers as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2000. He finished training camp with the team, but was released by the Chargers prior to the start of the 2000 NFL season.[1] Smart later attended training camp with the CFL's Edmonton Eskimos prior to being waived.[1]

[edit] XFL's Las Vegas Outlaws

In the Spring of 2001, Smart joined the Las Vegas Outlaws of the XFL and finished the season ranked second in the league in rushing with 555 yards.[3] Smart also finished third in average rushing yards (3.8 yards per carry), and scored three touchdowns over the course of the one and only XFL season.[3] Smart led the Outlaws in rushing, and was second in receiving with 27 catches for 245 yards.[4]

[edit] Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles signed Smart to their practice roster on October 2, 2001. He was promoted to the active roster on November 19, 2001, appeared in 6 regular season games, mainly on special teams, and rushed for 6 yards on 2 carries. The Eagles waived Smart at the end of their 2001 season.[1]

[edit] Carolina Panthers

In September, 2002, Smart was claimed off waivers by the Carolina Panthers. He played in all 16 regular season games, and led the Panthers with 24 special teams tackles. Smart produced at least one special teams tackle in 14 games en route to recording the second-highest number of special team tackles in season team history.[1]

In 2003, Smart played in all 16 Panthers' games for the second consecutive season. For the first time in a Panthers' uniform, Smart was utilized as a kick returner, in addition to his special teams coverage duties. He averaged 23.1 yards on 41 kickoff returns for 947 yards, including a 100-yard touchdown against the New Orleans Saints on October 5, 2003 (tied for the longest kickoff return in team history).[1] Smart finished the Panthers' 2003 season ranked second with 14 special teams tackles and recorded his first career blocked punt. Smart also rushed for 49 yards on 20 carries and caught three passes for 11 yards on offense. Smart contributed to a Panthers' special teams coverage unit that ranked fifth in the NFL in opponents' kickoff return average.[1]

Smart's 2004 season was cut short due to injuries. He played in the first three games of the season for the Panthers, but was inactive for the next four before being placed on injured reserve with an injured left knee on November 3, 2004. Despite his limited action in 2004, Smart averaged 21.1 yards on eight kickoff returns for 169 yards, with the longest return being 33 yards. He also rushed four yards on 3 carries, and caught one pass for five yards, on offense.[1]

In 2005, Smart returned to the Panthers healthy, played in 12 games, and led the Panthers with 29 kickoff returns for 615 yards (for a 21.2 yard average). Smart also recorded nine tackles and one fumble recovery for the Panthers' kick coverage unit. After 4 seasons, Smart was released by the Panthers on March 1, 2005.[1]

[edit] Oakland Raiders Training Camp

On May 4, 2006, Smart signed with the Oakland Raiders as a free agent.[1] Being injured for part of the 2006 pre-season, Smart failed to make the final, 53-man Raiders roster on September 2, 2006.[5]

[edit] "He Hate Me"

"He Hate Me" is the phrase Smart chose to place on the back of his Las Vegas Outlaws football jersey during the one and only season of the XFL (2001). Though most sports organizations allow only a surname or first initial and surname to be placed on the back of a jersey, XFL rules permitted players' jerseys to be stitched with whatever words they wanted.

Smart explained the origin of the grammatically unsound phrase in a January 30, 2004 article with the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel as, "Basically, my brother's my opponent. After I win, he's gonna hate me. It is what it is. It's a saying I was saying when I'd feel something wasn't going my way. For example, (when) I was on the squad in Vegas and coach was putting other guys in, (i)f I felt I'm better than them, you know, hey, 'he hate me.' See what I'm saying? Give me a chance. That's all I ask. It came from the heart. Within. The way I felt."[6]

Interestingly enough, when Smart and the Outlaws played divisional rival Los Angeles Xtreme, two Xtreme players put "I Hate He" and "I Hate He Too" on the back of their jerseys to express their disdain for Smart. In a later game between those two teams, those two players changed their nicknames to "Still Hate He" and "Still Hate He Too", respectively. The curious maxim also caught the eye of American audiences (as well as Smart's future Carolina Panthers teammate Jake Delhomme, who named one of his thoroughbreds, "She Hate Me"). In an episode of the dramatic TV series CSI: NY, a dead roller derby player is named "She Hate Me." The moniker was also referenced by Spike Lee to title his movie She Hate Me (the main character gives his ex-fiancé the nickname after she leaves him for a lesbian). "He Hate Me", along with the Sky Cam, is one of the few remnants of the otherwise disastrous XFL to have a lasting impact.

Of the moniker, Smart said "That's a part of me, so I never get tired of that. It's like my birth name, except it only came later than birth."[citation needed]

[edit] Personal life

Smart is a fan of the 1970's American funk band, Earth, Wind and Fire.[2] He was the "class clown" at Lakeland High School in Lakeland, Florida.[2] His nickname in high school was "Lil' Runt." Smart's first cousin is former Philadelphia Eagles receiver Freddie Mitchell.[1]

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Rod Smart #39. Raiders.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2006.
  2. ^ a b c Sowder, Amy (2005-01-25). Meet The Pro: Rod Smart. Lakeland Magazine. Retrieved on August 16, 2006.
  3. ^ a b XFL Statistical Leaders. All-XFL.com. Retrieved on August 21, 2006.
  4. ^ 2001 Las Vegas Outlaws Final Regular Season Stats. All-XFL.com. Retrieved on August 16, 2006.
  5. ^ Oakland Raiders Transactions (2006-09-02). Raiders.com. Retrieved on September 2, 2006.
  6. ^ Silverstein, Tom (2004-01-30). Fans love "He Hate Me". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel Online. Retrieved on August 16, 2006.

[edit] External links

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