Bruce Smith
Bruce Smith was born in Norfolk, Virginia, United States on June 18th, 1963 and is the Football Player. At the age of 60, Bruce Smith biography, profession, age, height, weight, eye color, hair color, build, measurements, education, career, dating/affair, family, news updates, and networth are available.
At 60 years old, Bruce Smith has this physical status:
Bruce Bernard Smith (born June 18, 1963) is a retired American football defensive end for the Buffalo Bills and the Washington Redskins of the National Football League.
He was a member of four Buffalo Bills teams that competed in four consecutive Super Bowls as AFC champions.
Smith, the holder of the NFL career record for quarterback sacks with 200, was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009, his first year of eligibility.
In 2006, Smith was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame.
Post-football life
Smith lives in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Smith has returned to his home state and is involved in a variety of projects with Armada Hoffler. He returned to Blacksburg, the site of his collegiate triumphs, where he purchased the Red Lion Inn. He designed a Hilton Garden Inn Hotel with 137 sleeping rooms and is currently working on redeveloping the site (Smith's Landing, Hotel, and Restaurant complex). He is a member of Queen Street Baptist Church in Norfolk. He is a Baptist. Alston, Smith and his wife Carmen, have a son.
Legends Energy Group, Smith's current company venture, also works with Thurman Thomas. They support energy initiatives throughout North America.
In 2015, Smith, Andre Reed, Thurman Thomas, and Jim Kelly were among the 30 for 30 film Four Falls of Buffalo.
High school and college careers
Smith is a graduate of Norfolk, Virginia, where he graduated from Booker T. Washington High School. Smith received an athletic scholarship to Virginia Tech after an all-state high school career. Smith, who is also known as "The Sack Guy" as a Hokie, spent his time in college in 1984 as the most respected player in Hokie history. He had a career of 71 tackles behind the line of scrimmage for losses totaling 504 yards, foreshadowing his future success in recruiting quarterbacks in the NFL. Smith had 46 firings in his career, including an NCAA-leading 22 during a junior season in 1983 that culminated in him being named First-team All-America by the AFCA (Coaches) and Newspaper Enterprise Association. Smith capped off his time in Blacksburg with the Outland Trophy, which is given to the country's top lineman, and a consensus pick for the All-America Team. He was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame thanks to his work at Virginia Tech.
Professional football career
Smith was drafted by both the Buffalo Bills with the first pick of the 1985 NFL Draft and the United States Football League Baltimore Stars in the 1985 USFL Territorial Draft, and he signed with the Bills following his stellar collegiate career. He had just 6.5 sacks in his rookie year when playing thirteen games. He had a rookie season in which his poor training habits limited his effectiveness, but Darryl Talley's encouragement inspired him to pursue his interests, and a college counselor who eventually married him inspired him to improve his game. With fifteen years in 1986, he quickly established himself as a sack specialist. He made his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro pick the following year, but he had twelve sacks in twelve games. In the December 13 game against the Indianapolis Colts on a fumble recovery in the end zone, he recorded his first touchdown of the season. It was his first and only touchdown in his career. He began his career in 1988 with eleven sacks in twelve games. Smith's rookie season in the playoffs would see the majority of it come with three sacks in two postseason games, although the Bills lost in their AFC championship match to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Smith, a restricted free agent, signed an offer-sheet with the Denver Broncos in March 1989 for $7.5 million over five years. Smith had excelled as their defensive leader, but the Bills were concerned about him with his drug use (since he had been suspended four games the previous year for it) and had him meet undercover detectives in November, which then kept him suspended months later. Faced with the option between Smith and two Denver draft choices, the Bills selected Smith. Now as the league's highest-paid defensive player, Smith will continue with the Bills for a considerable time. He responded by playing in all sixteen games of the season and racking thirteen sacks to earn his third straight Pro Bowl. During the year (51), Bill set the record for sacks by a Bill all-time, and he'll continue to increase the number for years to come. Some argue that his 171 sacks in Buffalo set a precedent that "may be unreachable" for future Bills. In the divisional round playoff game last year, in which the Bills lost 34–31.
With nineteen sacks, the Bills will make a new one in a season, he helped bring them to Super Bowl XXV. (three short of the then record for sacks in a season). Smith was not fired in either of the Bills' first two playoff games, but he saved his hopes against the New York Giants for Super Bowl XXV. In the second quarter, he fired Jeff Hostetler in the end zone, becoming the fifth player to reach a Super Bowl arrest (which gave the Bills a 12-3 lead). On a fourth-down conversion attempt, Smith compelled New York to turn the ball over on downs by tackling running back Ottis Anderson for a two-yard loss. Only the team's first NFL championship was salvaged after a botched last-second field goal attempt that barely went wide right.
The Bills also advanced to the Super Bowl in 1991, although Smith's knee injuries held him out for the bulk of the season. Smith, who was in much better health in 1992, was again elected to the Pro Bowl as a team captain and took home a team-leading 14 sacks, as he repeated his dismissal figure the next year. With five (1994, 1996), he led the league in forced fumbles twice.
Smith, despite the Bills' run of Super Bowl appearances having ended in 1996, was still putting up good numbers, with ninety tackles and fourteen sacks. Smith had 65 tackles and fourteen sacks in 1997, and by 1998, despite being older, he still had a respectable fifty tackles and ten sacks.
He set a new record in sacks with 2.5 in the Bills' wild card round match against the Tennessee Titans, but the Bills lost 22–16 on a last-second tense play. Since the 1999 season, Smith, Andre Reed, and Thurman Thomas were stripped from the Bills roster in an emergency salary cap measure.
Smith has signed as a free agent with the Washington Redskins. Despite being in mostly passing situations, he had 58 tackles and ten sacks in his first season. He carried on his quest for Reggie White's all-time sacks record (198, which he earned in 15 seasons) during Week 14 of the 2003 NFL season by dismissing New York Giants quarterback Jesse Palmer in a 20–7 victory at Giants Stadium. Smith was the only one to reach that number in his career.
Smith had speculated in interviews that 2003 would be his last season, but not entirely ruled out playing. The Redskins cut Smith on February 24, 2004, saving $6.5 million in salary cap space.
Smith was the first-ballot inductee into the NFL Hall of Fame. Smith played in 279 games, amassing a record 200 sacks, two interceptions, 46 tackled fumbles, and 15 fumble recoveries, one of which was a 33-yard touchdown. Of his 19 seasons in the league, 13 of them were seasons with at least ten sacks, a testimony to his unbridled years year in and out. He was also named to a ten-time All-Pro squad. Many believe the statistics were particularly impressive when Smith spent the majority of his career in a 3–4 defensive plan, which was not geared toward creating sack opportunities for defensive ends. Smith's peers have all been elected to the Pro Bowl from 1987 to 1998 (with the exception of his injury-shortened 5-game 1991 season). He was named Pro Bowl MVP in 1987. Smith was twice named AP's Defensive Player of the Year (1990, 1993), twice the NEA's (1990, 1993) and four times the AFC Defensive Player of the Year (1987, 1988, 1996).
