| No. 89 Carolina Panthers | |
| Wide receiver | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Date of birth: May 12, 1979 | |
| Place of birth: Lynwood, California | |
| Height: 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | Weight: 185 lb (84 kg) |
| Career information | |
| College: Utah | |
| NFL Draft: 2001 / Round: 3 / Pick: 74 | |
| Debuted in 2001 for the Carolina Panthers | |
| Career history | |
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| Roster status: Active | |
| Career highlights and awards | |
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| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2011 | |
| Receptions | 699 |
| Receiving Yards | 10,278 |
| Receiving TDs | 59 |
| Total Return Yards | 4,023 |
| Return TDs | 6 |
| Stats at NFL.com | |
Stevonne Latrall Smith[1] (born May 12, 1979) is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League. After playing college football at University of Utah, he was brought to the Panthers organization as a third round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft.
Smith, a five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro selection, has emerged as one of the NFL's most productive wide receivers, leading the league in catches, receiving yards, and touchdowns in 2005. He is the Panthers' all-time leader in total touchdowns (67) receptions (699), and receiving yards (10,278). In 2011, he became the 35th player in NFL history to amass 10,000 receiving yards.
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Smith attended University High School in Los Angeles, California, and was a letterman in football and track & field. In football, he played running back and defensive back, and was an All-Metro League selection as well as an All-California Interscholastic Federation selection. In track & field, he set a handful of school records, was named as an All-City selection as a high-hurdler, and also excelled in the triple jump and 500m hurdles. Steve Smith graduated from University High School in 1997.
After graduating from high school, Smith attended Santa Monica College. While playing for the college’s football team, Smith quickly defined himself as a talented football player, and earned a starting position. During this time, Smith was teammates with future NFL wide receiver Chad Ochocinco, making this small college duo one of the most dynamic ever.
While impressing spectators with his performance on the football field, Santa Monica’s head coach, Robert Taylor, encouraged Smith to not play for riches or fame, but to play so that he might earn a scholarship to a Division-I school, where he could receive a better education. He also advised Smith and OchoCinco to not do touchdown celebrations and as Smith said, "they put the cuffs on us." Smith took Taylor’s advice to heart, and excelled in his academics, not missing a single day of classes while attending Santa Monica.
After completing two years at Santa Monica College, Smith transferred to the University of Utah, where he established himself as a standout wideout in the Mountain West Conference where he was a teammate of running back Mike Anderson. While at the University of Utah, Smith set the record for yards per catch with a 20.6 average, and was chosen to play for the conference’s all-star team twice. However he missed their bowl game in his final season due to injury. After the Blue-Gray All-Star game on December 25, 2000, Smith began to receive attention from various NFL scouts. He and his wife have endowed an athletics scholarship at the University of Utah.[2]
The Carolina Panthers chose Smith in the third round (74th Overall) during the 2001 NFL Draft.
| Pre-draft measureables (* represents NFL Combine) | |||||||||
| Wt | 40y | 20ss | 3-cone | Vert | BP | Wonderlic | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 184 lb* | 4.39s* | 4.25s* | 7.44s* | 38.5 in* | 220 | 23* | |||
Smith spent a majority of his rookie season as a kick and punt returner, leading all rookies in net yardage with 1,994 yards, and landing in fourth place among all NFL players behind Priest Holmes, Marshall Faulk, and Derrick Mason. Smith also had 10 catches for 154 yards, and rushed 4 times for 43 yards. Smith’s performance was rewarded with an invite to the 2002 Pro Bowl, allowing him to join Wesley Walls and Todd Sauerbrun as the only players to represent the Panthers in the 2002 Pro Bowl.
During the 2002 NFL season, Smith earned a starting position as a wide receiver and continued to carry out his kickoff and punt return duties. On November 10, 2002, Smith was involved with an altercation with his teammate Anthony Bright during a film-room meeting.[3] The altercation left Bright with a broken nose and he was hospitalized for two nights. Smith was arrested and briefly jailed on charges of misdemeanor assault, and the Panthers suspended him for one game. Smith finished the year with 54 receptions for 872 yards and 3 touchdowns.
During the 2003 season, Smith played a critical role for the Panther offense. He finished the regular season with 88 receptions for 1,110 yards and 7 touchdowns. During the NFC divisional playoffs, Smith caught a 69 yard pass and ran it for a touchdown in 2nd overtime to defeat the St. Louis Rams 29-23. In Super Bowl XXXVIII, he caught 4 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown, and returned a kickoff for 30 yards in the Panthers 32-29 loss to the New England Patriots.
Smith suffered a severe break in his leg during the 2004 NFL season opener against the Green Bay Packers, and was out for the remainder of the year. Before the injury, he managed to record 6 catches for 60 yards, and even attempted a pass which fell incomplete.
In 2005 NFL season, Smith recovered from his injury to earn the "Triple Crown" of receiving, leading the NFL with 1,563 receiving yards, 103 receptions, and 12 touchdowns. Smith also returned 27 punts for 286 yards. His 10.6 yards/return was the second highest of his career.
Smith dominated the first two rounds of the 2005 post season. In a wild card victory over the New York Giants, Smith caught 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 12 yards and another score. The Panthers then defeated the Chicago Bears in the divisional round, aided by Smith's franchise record 12 receptions for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns. Smith and the Panthers then faced the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship. Although he scored on a 59 yard punt return, Smith was held to 33 receiving yards on 5 catches, and the Panthers lost by a score of 34-14.
Smith, along with teammates Jake Delhomme, Julius Peppers, and Mike Wahle were invited to the 2006 Pro Bowl after the season. Smith also shared the 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award with New England Patriots’s linebacker Tedy Bruschi.
After suffering a hamstring injury and developing an ingrown toenail in training camp before the 2006 season, Smith returned to the field after missing two weeks of action. Steve was double covered frequently but still managed to battle through that and injuries to finish the year with 83 catches for 1,186 yards and 8 touchdowns. He was also invited to the 2007 Pro Bowl, his second Pro Bowl in a row and third overall.
Smith started 15 games for the Panthers during the 2007 Carolina Panthers season, and led Carolina with 87 catches, 1,002 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns despite playing with four different starting quarterbacks due to injury to starting quarterback Jake Delhomme.
Smith made headlines during the 2008 training camp when he was involved in an altercation with teammate Ken Lucas on August 1, 2008. Smith broke Lucas' nose during the fight and was later sent home for the remainder of the day after reportedly apologizing. Smith was given a two game suspension by the team.[4][5] Smith then suffered a severe concussion during the 2008 preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts, where Smith was hit in the head when catching a pass.[6] He continued to play that game, but did not travel with the team to their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles. After returning from suspension and scoring his first touchdown of the 2008 season, Smith presented the ball to Lucas on the sideline.[7] Despite his 2-game suspension, Smith was voted to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl after he managed to catch 78 passes for 1,421 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns, leading the NFL in receiving yards per game.
During Week 16 of the 2009 NFL Season, Smith broke his left forearm on a touchdown catch in a game against the New York Giants causing him to sit out the final game of the year. Smith finished the year with 982 yards on 65 receptions and 7 touchdowns, just 18 yards shy of a 5th straight 1,000 yard receiving season. On January 1, 2010, Smith was placed on injured reserve following the injury, and on June 19, 2010 Smith broke his arm again while playing flag football.
2010 was Smith's worst season as a starter since 2002. Although he led the team in both receptions and receiving yards, he only managed 46 catches for 554 yards. In addition, he only caught two touchdown passes, 1 fewer than rookie David Gettis.
Smith opened up the 2011 season strong, gaining 178 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 catches, including a 77-yard reception for a touchdown. Smith followed his week 1 performance with another 150-yard receiving game, but had a fumble during the game as well. On November 27, 2011 Smith surpassed the 1000-yard receiving mark .[8] During Week 14 he became the 35th player in NFL history to reach the 10,000-yard receiving mark after a 125 yard performance against Atlanta.
Accurate as of Week 17, 2011
| Regular season | Receiving | Rushing | Kickoff Returns | Punt Returns | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | RetY | Avg | Lng | TD | ||||
| 2001 | Carolina Panthers | 15 | 1 | 10 | 154 | 15.4 | 33 | 0 | 4 | 43 | 10.8 | 39 | 0 | 56 | 1,431 | 25.6 | 99T | 2 | 34 | 364 | 10.7 | 70T | 1 | ||||
| 2002 | Carolina Panthers | 15 | 13 | 54 | 872 | 16.1 | 69 | 3 | 1 | –4 | –4.0 | –4 | 0 | 26 | 571 | 22.0 | 51 | 0 | 55 | 470 | 8.5 | 87T | 2 | ||||
| 2003 | Carolina Panthers | 16 | 11 | 88 | 1,110 | 12.6 | 67T | 7 | 11 | 42 | 3.8 | 14 | 0 | 11 | 309 | 28.1 | 42 | 0 | 44 | 439 | 10.0 | 53T | 1 | ||||
| 2004 | Carolina Panthers | 1 | 1 | 6 | 60 | 10.0 | 15 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| 2005 | Carolina Panthers | 16 | 16 | 103 | 1,563 | 15.2 | 80T | 12 | 4 | 25 | 6.3 | 20T | 1 | 3 | 61 | 20.3 | 33 | 0 | 27 | 286 | 10.6 | 44 | 0 | ||||
| 2006 | Carolina Panthers | 14 | 14 | 83 | 1,166 | 14.0 | 72T | 8 | 8 | 61 | 7.6 | 24T | 1 | 2 | –1 | –0.5 | 3 | 0 | 9 | 30 | 3.3 | 16 | 0 | ||||
| 2007 | Carolina Panthers | 15 | 15 | 87 | 1,002 | 11.5 | 74T | 7 | 9 | 66 | 7.3 | 22 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 2 | 7 | 3.5 | 6 | 0 | ||||
| 2008 | Carolina Panthers | 14 | 14 | 78 | 1,421 | 18.2 | 65T | 6 | 5 | 40 | 8.0 | 23 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 1 | 10 | 10.0 | 10 | 0 | ||||
| 2009 | Carolina Panthers | 15 | 15 | 65 | 982 | 15.1 | 66 | 7 | 5 | 22 | 4.4 | 17 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| 2010 | Carolina Panthers | 14 | 14 | 46 | 554 | 12.0 | 39 | 2 | 1 | 9 | 9.0 | 9 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 6 | 46 | 7.7 | 32 | 0 | ||||
| 2011 | Carolina Panthers | 16 | 16 | 79 | 1,394 | 17.6 | 77T | 7 | 6 | 56 | 9.3 | 23 | 0 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| Regular season totals | 151 | 130 | 699 | 10,278 | 14.7 | 80 | 59 | 54 | 360 | 6.7 | 39 | 2 | 98 | 2,371 | 24.2 | 99 | 2 | 178 | 1,652 | 9.3 | 87 | 4 | |||||
| Playoffs | Receiving | Rushing | Kickoff Returns | Punt Returns | |||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Season | Team | GP | GS | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Ret | RetY | Avg | Lng | TD | ||||
| 2003–04 | Carolina Panthers | 4 | 4 | 18 | 404 | 22.4 | 70 | 3 | 1 | 7 | 7.0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 30 | 0 | 4 | 15 | 3.8 | -- | 0 | ||||
| 2005–06 | Carolina Panthers | 3 | 3 | 27 | 335 | 12.4 | 58 | 3 | 4 | 38 | 9.5 | 22 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | 3 | 58 | 19.3 | 59T | 1 | ||||
| 2008–09 | Carolina Panthers | 1 | 1 | 2 | 43 | 21.5 | 35 | 1 | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | ||||
| Playoff totals | 8 | 8 | 47 | 782 | 18.8 | 70 | 7 | 5 | 45 | 9.0 | 22 | 1 | 2 | 41 | 20.5 | 30 | 0 | 7 | 73 | 10.4 | 59 | 1 | |||||
Smith and his wife, Angie, have three children. He coaches his son’s soccer team in his spare time, and is a partner in Athletes United for Youth, a charity organization that provides educational, programmatic, and structured support to youth housed within under-served communities. In May 2008, Smith announced that he purchased a near-50% interest in the existing Velocity Sports Performance franchise in Charlotte and an equal ownership percentage in any future Charlotte area Velocity centers.[9] Smith also announced that he is working at Morgan Stanley's Charlotte office as a financial planning intern, working alongside his own financial advisor, Derek L.Copeland, who is Senior Vice President with the Copeland Sivak Group.
In a radio interview in April 2010, Australian Rules footballer Sam Mitchell stated that he named his new born son Smith after Steve.
| Awards | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Drew Brees |
NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award 2005 (Co-Award Winner Tedy Bruschi) |
Succeeded by Chad Pennington |
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