Bob Smith (halfback)
{{Short description|American football player (born 1933)}}
{{For|the Detroit Lions fullback drafted by the Browns in 1951|Bob Smith (fullback)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=June 2024}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name = Bob Smith
| image =
|upright =.85
| caption = Smith with the Nebraska Cornhuskers
| number = 43
| position = Halfback
| birth_date = {{birth date|1933|2|23}}
| birth_place = Council Bluffs, Iowa, U.S.
| death_date = {{death date and age|2014|9|28|1933|2|23}}
| death_place = Pueblo, Colorado, U.S.
| height_ft = 5
| height_in = 10
| weight_lbs = 195
| high_school = Grand Island
(Grand Island, Nebraska)
| college = Nebraska (1951–1954)
| draftyear = 1955
| draftround = 15
| draftpick = 181
| pastteams =
- Cleveland Browns ({{NFL Year|1955}}–{{NFL Year|1956}})
- Philadelphia Eagles ({{NFL Year|1956}})
| highlights =
- NFL champion (1955)
- First-team All-Big Seven (1954)
| pfr = S/SmitBo21
}}
Robert Gerald Smith (February 23, 1933 – September 28, 2014) was an American professional football halfback who played two seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles. He was selected by the Browns in the fifteenth round of the 1955 NFL draft after playing college football at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln.
Early life and college
Robert Gerald Smith was born on February 23, 1933, in Council Bluffs, Iowa.{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/s/smit04600.html | title=Bob Smith | publisher=profootballarchives.com | accessdate=27 December 2024}} He attended Grand Island Senior High School in Grand Island, Nebraska.
He was a four-year letterman for the Nebraska Cornhuskers from 1951 to 1954. He was named first-team All-Big Seven Conference by the Associated Press his senior year in 1954.{{cite news|title=Five Oklahoma Stars Honored|newspaper=Council Bluffs Iowa Nonpareil|page=10|date=November 30, 1954|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/3114942/five_oklahoma_stars_honored/}}
Professional career
Smith was selected by the Cleveland Browns in the 15th round, with the 181st overall pick, of the 1955 NFL draft.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBo21.htm | title=Bob Smith | publisher=pro-football-reference.com | accessdate=27 December 2024}} He played in ten games for the Browns during the 1955 season, totaling 37 carries 142 yards and one touchdown, two catches for 12 yards, 13 kick returns for 320 yards, one fumble, and two fumble recoveries. He also played in the 1955 NFL Championship Game, rushing three times for two yards and returning two kicks for 41 yards in a 38–14 victory over the Los Angeles Rams.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitBo21/gamelog/post/ | title=Bob Smith Career Game Log | publisher=pro-football-reference.com | accessdate=27 December 2024}} He appeared in two games for the Browns in 1956, rushing two times for 10 yards, before being released on October 19, 1956.
Smith signed with the Philadelphia Eagles on October 23, 1956. He played in four games for the team during the 1956 season, recording nine rushing attempts for eight yards. He was released by the Eagles on November 20, 1956.{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/transactions/s/smit04600.html | title=Bob Smith NFL Transactions | publisher=profootballarchives.com | accessdate=27 December 2024}}
Personal life
Smith was later a teacher and contractor in Pueblo, Colorado.{{cite web | url=https://www.montgomerysteward.com/obits/robert-g-bob-smith/ | title=Robert G. 'Bob' Smith | publisher=montgomerysteward.com | accessdate=27 December 2024}} He died on September 28, 2014, in Pueblo.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{1955 Cleveland Browns}}
{{Browns1955DraftPicks}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bob}}
Category:Players of American football from Iowa
Category:American football halfbacks
Category:Nebraska Cornhuskers football players
Category:Cleveland Browns players