NFL
By: Greg Rector
Jerry Smith was a tight end for the Washington Redskins. Yes, I used the evil word. I know that already, folks. However, this is a history lesson, so I will call Jerry Smith based on what he was like on the football field when he played. Jerry Smith played tight end for Washington from 1965 until 1977.
I’m writing about Jerry Smith as our younger cast of writers here at TEAMNBSMedia aren’t old enough to have seen Jerry Smith play football; however, I saw Smith play tight end and was always amazed at how good of a tight end he was. When Smith retired, he had the NFL record for touchdowns by a tight end, with 60 TDs. His mark wasn’t passed until Shannon Sharpe.
Now, I could easily say how many others on the famed “Hog Line” deserve to be included in Canton and recognized as Pro Football Hall of Fame members. However, this old Dallas Cowboys fan has Jerry Smith as the most deserving member of those hated teams that played in the nation’s capital. As a lifelong Dallas Cowboys fan, I recognize greatness in my opponents. Something not seen enough especially online these days.
Jerry Smith College Career
Jerry Smith didn’t play football until his junior season, as he walked on and became a wide receiver for the Arizona State Sun Devils. In his senior season, he became a tight end and was decent enough to be drafted by Washington in the ninth round of the NFL draft. He caught 42 passes and scored five touchdowns for the Sun Devils.
Jerry Smith Professional Career
Smith developed his Redskins career as a running and catching tight end under head coaches Bill McPeak, Otto Graham, and, most memorably, under Vince Lombardi, who had a positive approach to gay players. After Lombardi’s death, under George Allen, his role changed to mainly blocking, leading the team to Super Bowl VII at the end of the 1972 season. In the fourth quarter, with the Redskins trailing the Miami Dolphins, quarterback Billy Kilmer tried a pass to Smith, who was running across the end zone, but the ball hit the goalpost. Although the Redskins lost the game 14–7, Sports Illustrated called Smith “an outstanding receiver among tight ends, with the ability to break open for a long gain.”
Jerry Smith wasn’t named to NFL All-Decade teams in the 1960s or the 1970s, and that was due to the time he played against Mike Ditka in the 1960s and Dave Casper in the 1970s. However, having watched Jerry Smith from 1969 until his career ended, Jerry Smith belongs in Canton, Ohio, and the NFL voters continue to ignore Jerry Smith.
He Was Gay
Jerry Smith was a gay man, but because of his status, why is he not in the Pro Football Hall of Fame? Here’s another bit of history that most NFL fans are unaware of. Head coach Vince Lombardi, who had a gay brother, demanded a homophobia-free locker room but “not even the legendary Lombardi could insulate him from the crippling societal homophobia of the era.”Shortly before he died, Smith said: “Every important thing a man searches for in his life, I found in Coach Lombardi. He made us men.”
Back in his day, Jerry Smith lived in fear and knew his football career would be over if it were found out he was gay. His former roommate Brig Owens who played safety for the Redskins, his daughters called Jerry Smith “Uncle Jerry.” During an interview on Jerry Smith’s career on the NFL Network in 2014, Owens was asked if Smith belongs in the Hall Of Fame, and his reply was simple. Owens replied that Smith would be in the hall already if he were not gay.
Jerry Smith’s Death
Jerry Smith died in 1986 from an AIDS-related illness. He never came out and said he was a gay man. Nor should he have ever had to. To be excluded from the Pro Football Hall of Fame must be changed. I hope the Veterans Committee rectifies this situation.
Jerry Smith deserves his place in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
