College Southampton Height 1.83 m NFL draft 1974 / Round: Weight 84 kg | Name John Smith Role American football player Positions Placekicker | |
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Date of birth (1949-12-30) December 30, 1949 (age 65) Place of birth Leafield, Oxfordshire, England Status Retired- Coaches soccer (WOBsters) 1973 New England Colonials (ACFL) | ||
Education University of Southampton | ||
John Michael Smith (born 30 December 1949) is an English-born retired American football placekicker. He made his professional debut with the New England Patriots in 1974, remaining with the team until 1983.
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Early years
John Smith trained as a teacher at King Alfred's College, Winchester in England between 1968 and 1971. After teaching for a year, he moved to the United States. He had not played American Football before but was an outstanding all-round sportsman and superb soccer player so he approached the New England Patriots and asked for a trial as a placekicker. New England saw his potential and he was sent to spend his 1973 season in the Atlantic Coast Football League before re-signing with the Patriots in 1974.
The Snowplow Game
Smith is perhaps most famous for kicking the only points in the Snowplow Game, played 12 December 1982 in a snow storm at Foxboro Stadium. Convict Mark Henderson, released for a weekend work program, cleared the way with his snowplow for Smith to beat the Miami Dolphins and enter football lore.
Smith led the NFL in scoring in 1979 and 1980. In 1982, Smith injured his right knee (on his non-kicking leg) and underwent arthroscopic surgery; he retired after the 1983 season as the second-highest scoring player in Patriots history, behind Gino Cappelletti.
Post-retirement
Smith currently runs The John Smith Sports Center, an indoor sports complex in Milford, Massachusetts. Smith runs JSSA Magic (John Smith Soccer Academy), a premier soccer club for ages 8–18. He also runs John Smith's #1 Soccer School, a soccer camp held at various New England schools and colleges each summer.
Personal life
Smith currently lives in Dover, Massachusetts, with his wife Vivienne. Smith has four children, and his oldest daughter, Felicity Smith-Day, directs John Smith Soccer. She is a former college All-American. She also played professionally for Arsenal L.F.C.