Joe Smith (running back)

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1979)}}

{{Infobox Canadian Football League biography

| name = Joe Smith

| image =

| alt =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|8|26}}

| birth_place = Monroe, Louisiana, U.S.

| death_date =

| death_place =

| team =

| number =

| status = Retired

| import = yes

| position1 = Running back

| height_ft =

| height_in =

| weight_lb =

| college = Louisiana Tech

| playing_years1 = 2003

| playing_team1 = Jacksonville Jaguars* (NFL)

| playing_years2 = 2004

| playing_team2 = Tampa Bay Buccaneers* (NFL)

| playing_years3 = 2004

| playing_team3 = New Orleans Saints* (NFL)

| playing_years4 = 2005

| playing_team4 = Tennessee Titans* (NFL)

| playing_years5 = {{RHE season|2005}}

| playing_team5 = Rhein Fire (NFLE)

| playing_years6 = {{CFL Year|2006}}–{{CFL Year|2008}}

| playing_team6 = BC Lions (CFL)

| playing_years7 = {{CFL Year|2008}}

| playing_team7 = Winnipeg Blue Bombers (CFL)

| career_highlights =

| CFLAllStar = {{CFL Year|2007}}

| CFLWestAllStar = {{CFL Year|2007}}

| awards = {{CFL Year|2007}} Eddie James Memorial Trophy

| career_footnotes = *Offseason and/or practice squad member only

}}

Joseph O'Brien Smith (born August 26, 1979) is an American former professional running back in the Canadian Football League (CFL). In 2007, in only his second season with the team, he became the BC Lions' all-time single-season rushing leader, breaking the previous record of 1,510 yards.

College career

Born in Monroe, Louisiana, Smith's hometown is Cleveland, Texas. He played collegiately as a running back at Louisiana Tech University for two years following his transfer from the New Mexico Military Institute. At Louisiana Tech, he rushed for 2,189 yards and added 450 receiving yards to go along with 25 touchdowns. As a senior, he was selected in the first-team All-Western Athletic Conference team and was named the offensive Most Valuable Player. Smith graduated from Louisiana Tech with a bachelor's degree in sociology.

Professional career

= NFL career =

Following his graduation from Louisiana Tech, Smith began his professional football career in 2003 as a free agent running back with the Jacksonville Jaguars. However, he was cut after spending 15 weeks on the practice squad.

In 2005, following his release from Jacksonville and a one-week stint with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Smith signed with the Tennessee Titans and was allocated to the Rhein Fire of NFL Europa where he became the team's starting running back.

= CFL career (BC Lions & Winnipeg Blue Bombers) =

Smith signed as a free agent with the BC Lions in May, 2006, and replaced Antonio Warren as their starting running back when Warren was released in July. In 14 games with the Lions during the 2006 season, Smith rushed 166 times for 887 yards and 9 touchdowns with only 2 fumbles and caught 51 passes for 420 yards and one touchdown.

Smith rushed for 116 yards on 9 carries in the 2006 Grey Cup game, which the Lions won over the Montreal Alouettes by a score of 25–14.

During the 2007 CFL season, Smith broke former Lion great Cory Philpot's single season rushing record of 1,510 yards in an October 28 game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Smith finished the 2007 season as the CFL's rushing and rushing touchdowns leader (with 1,510 yards and 18 touchdowns, respectively),{{cite web | url = https://www.cfl.ca/index.php?module=fbstats&func=rushing&year=2007 | access-date = 2007-12-04 | title = 2007 Statistics: Rushing | publisher = CFL.ca | date = 2007-07-22}} was named a CFL All-Star for the first time, and won the Western Division's Eddie James Memorial Trophy (as the Western Division's leading rusher).

On September 1, 2008, Smith was traded to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for fellow RB Charles Roberts.

He was released by Winnipeg on June 25, 2009.