Jimmy Smith (wide receiver)

Early life

Smith is the son of Jimmy and Etta Smith. He attended Callaway High School in Jackson, Mississippi, where he earned all-state honors as a senior. He was given the nickname Silk by his teammates.

College career

Smith attended Jackson State University and played wide receiver. He became a starter as a junior, teaming with Tim Barnett, becoming the top receiving duo in Division I-AA, while registering 42 receptions for 894 yards and 9 touchdowns. In his final year he had 43 catches for 801 yards and 3 touchdowns. He finished his college career with 110 receptions, 2,073 yards and 16 touchdowns. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in business administration.

In 2011, he was named to the Jackson State University All-Century team.

Dallas Cowboys

Smith was selected in the second round (36th overall) of the 1992 NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. As a rookie, he broke his right fibula during the Dallas Blue-White Scrimmage and recovered to play in just seven games as a special teamer, without registering a reception.

In 1993, he was leading the team in pre-season receptions and was one of the candidates for the third receiver job. On August 24, he underwent an emergency appendectomy and later developed a severe post-surgical infection (causing four abscesses in his stomach) that was nearly fatal and forced him miss the entire season, including Super Bowl XXVIII. After being placed on a list for players with non-football related injuries, he had to go to arbitration to receive his full salary. He was waived on July 11, 1994, after he wouldn't accept a pay cut.

Philadelphia Eagles

On July 19, 1994, he was signed as a free agent by the Philadelphia Eagles, but was eventually released on August 30.

Jacksonville Jaguars

Smith was signed by the expansion Jacksonville Jaguars after a tryout on February 28, 1995. He made the team after head coach Tom Coughlin saw his talents and perhaps also as a result of the efforts of Smith's mother, who sent Coughlin a binder of her son's press clippings. In 1995, he was the club's leader in kickoff returns and the fifth wide receiver.

The next year, he became a starter after Andre Rison was released following the eleventh game against the Pittsburgh Steelers. He would emerge as a dominant receiver, finishing with 1,244 receiving yards (led the AFC) and 7 touchdowns, while helping the team win its last five games and reach the AFC Championship Game.

Smith would remain one of the cornerstones of the franchise for a decade. His teammates gave him the nickname J-Smooth and would later be known with Keenan McCardell as "Thunder and Lightning", after a TV Guide photo shoot in 1997. Their history together was detailed in NFL Film's 2014 A Football Life: "Keenan McCardell & Jimmy Smith".

Smith continued to be a key member of the Jaguars offense and helped lead the team to playoff appearances for four straight years (from 1996 to 1999). In 1999, he helped make the Jaguars the best team in the NFL during the regular season, registering 1,636 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns.

In 2000, his best career game came against arguably one of the best defenses in NFL history, when he posted 15 receptions, 291 receiving yards (fifth in NFL history) and 3 touchdowns, against the eventual Super Bowl champion the Baltimore Ravens.

In 2001, he overcame three difficult intestine operations during the offseason, to remove scar tissue related to the appendectomy procedure he underwent in Dallas. On November 26, he was found to have benzoylecgonine (a by-product of cocaine) in his system after being pulled over on suspicion of drunk driving. He denied using cocaine and was not charged with any crime since he was not found to be impaired while driving. The incident placed him into the NFL's substance-abuse program.

In 2003, he was handed a four-game suspension for an undisclosed substance abuse violation. He would have a down year with 805 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns.

On May 11, 2006, Smith abruptly retired from the NFL. He finished his career seventh in NFL history with 862 catches and 11th in league history with 12,287 yards. He had 67 career touchdown catches with the Jaguars. Smith had been voted to the Pro Bowl five straight times from 1997 to 2001. He is also the Jacksonville Jaguars all-time leading receiver, having led the team in receiving every season from 1996-2005. He set team records with 116 receptions (also led the league) and 1,636 yards in 1999, both career-highs. His career-high in touchdowns was eight, achieved in 1998, 2000 and 2001.

NFL records

Jaguars franchise records

Personal life

Smith and his wife Sandra currently reside in his hometown of Jackson, Mississippi with their five children, Jimmy III ("Trey"), Jaden, Dalys, Dyson and Jayse. In September 2014, Trey accepted a football scholarship to the University of Louisville. His father Jimmy Smith Sr. played tight end for the Cincinnati Bengals in 1968.

In April, 2009, Smith was arrested for multiple drug charges. Since then, he has been through rehab and made an effort to make a difference in other people's lives through the Jimmy Smith Foundation.

In 2013, Smith was sentenced to serve six years in the Mississippi Department of Corrections after being convicted of drug and weapons charges. According to Mississippi DOC records, he was scheduled to serve two years for "possession of a firearm by a convicted felon" and four years for possession of cocaine. He began his sentence on March 29, 2013. Although his tentative release date was November 8, 2018, he was released on July 2, 2013 on the condition of house arrest.