Wilfrid Smith

{{other people|Wilfrid Smith|Wilf Smith (disambiguation){{!}}Wilf Smith}}

{{Infobox NFL biography

| name = Wilfrid Smith

| image =

| number = 16, 21

| position = Tackle, guard, end, center

| birth_date = {{Birth date|1899|4|7}}

| birth_place = Milroy, Indiana, U.S.

| death_date = {{Death date and age|1976|8|3|1899|4|7}}

| death_place = Chicago, Illinois, U.S.

| height_ft = 6

| height_in = 4

| weight_lbs = 204

| high_school = Huntington
(Huntington, Indiana)

| college = DePauw

| pastteams =

Pine Village A.C. (1919)
Hammond All-Stars (1919)
Muncie Flyers ({{NFL Year|1920}}–{{NFL Year|1921}})
Louisville Brecks ({{NFL Year|1922}})
Hammond Pros ({{NFL Year|1923}})
Chicago Cardinals ({{NFL Year|1923}}–{{NFL Year|1925}})

| highlights =

NFL champion (1925)

| pfr = S/SmitWi20

}}

Wilfrid Russell Smith (April 7, 1899 – August 3, 1976) was an American football player and sports journalist. He played professionally for six seasons in the National Football League (NFL) with the Muncie Flyers, Louisville Brecks, Hammond Pros and Chicago Cardinals. Smith played college football at DePauw University. He was a member of the Cardinals team that were NFL champions in 1925.

Early life and college

Wilfrid Russell Smith was born on April 7, 1899, in Milroy, Indiana.{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/players/s/smit40800.html | title=WILFRED SMITH | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=22 April 2025}} He attended Huntington High School in Huntington, Indiana.

Smith was a two-year letterman for the DePauw Tigers from 1917 to 1918.

Professional career

Smith played in two games, both starts, for Pine Village A.C. in 1919. He was also a member of the Hammond All-Stars during the 1919 season.

Smith appeared in one game for the Muncie Flyers of the American Professional Football Association (APFA) during the league's inaugural season in 1920.{{cite web | url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/S/SmitWi20.htm | title=Wilfred Smith | publisher=Pro Football Reference | accessdate=22 April 2025}} He started two games for Muncie in 1921.

He started one game for the Louisville Brecks of the newly renamed National Football League (NFL) during the 1922 season.

Smith played in five games, starting four, for the Hammond Pros of the NFL in 1923.

He appeared in three games, starting one, for the NFL's Chicago Cardinals in 1923. He played in six games, starting three, for the Cardinals in 1924. Smith played in all 13 games, starting five, for Chicago during the 1925 season as the team finished 11–2–1, good for first place in the NFL.{{cite web | url=https://www.profootballarchives.com/1925nflchic.html | title=1925 Chicago Cardinals (NFL) | publisher=Pro Football Archives | accessdate=22 April 2025}}

Personal life

Smith joined the staff of Chicago Tribune in 1925. From 1926 to 1929, he compiled All-Pro teams for the newspaper.{{cite web | url=http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/05-06-144.pdf | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121022112054/http://www.profootballresearchers.org/Coffin_Corner/05-06-144.pdf | url-status=dead | archive-date=22 October 2012 | title=1926 All Pros | publisher=profootballresearchers.org | accessdate=21 August 2014 | author=Hogrogian, John}}{{cite web | url=http://profootballresearchers.com/archives/Website_Files/Coffin_Corner/04-12-117.pdf | title=ALL-PROS OF 1927 | publisher=profootballresearchers.com | date=1982 | accessdate=October 28, 2017 | author=Hogrogian, John}}{{cite news|title=3 Detroit Men on All-American Pro Grid Team|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Wilfrid Smith|date=December 23, 1928|pages=2–4|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10130769/3_detroit_men_on_allamerican_pro_grid/}}{{cite news|title=Packers, Giants Get 8 Places On All-Pro Eleven|newspaper=Chicago Tribune|author=Wilfrid Smith|date=December 22, 1929|pages=2–3|url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/10130976/packers_giants_get_8_places_on_allpro/}} Smith served as sports editor for the Chicago Tribune from 1955 until 1966. He died following a long illness, on August 3, 1976, at Resurrection Hospital in Chicago.{{cite news |last=Condon |first=David |title=Ex-Tribune sports editor Smith dead |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116389535/chicago-tribune/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=August 4, 1976 |page=1, section 4 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}{{cite news |last=Condon |first=David |title=Wilfrid Smith dead at 77 (continued) |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/116389512/chicago-tribune/ |newspaper=Chicago Tribune |location=Chicago, Illinois |date=August 4, 1976 |page=3, section 4 |access-date=January 13, 2023 |via=Newspapers.com {{Open access}} }}