Vitamin Smith
 Smith on a 1952 Bowman football card | |||||||||||||
| No. 77, 47 | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position: | Halfback | ||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||
| Born: | October 30, 1923 Sweetwater, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Died: | February 14, 2000 (aged 76) Lake Dallas, Texas, U.S. | ||||||||||||
| Height: | 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) | ||||||||||||
| Weight: | 179 lb (81 kg) | ||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||
| High school: | Sweetwater (TX) Ventura (CA) | ||||||||||||
| College: | Abilene Christian | ||||||||||||
| Undrafted: | 1949 | ||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||
| |||||||||||||
Verda T. "Vitamin" Smith Jr. (October 30, 1923 – February 14, 2000) was a National Football League (NFL) running back for the Los Angeles Rams from 1949 through 1953.
Smith served in the United States Army and participated in the Battle of Normandy before enrolling at Abilene Christian University where he sprinted, threw javelin and played college football for the Wildcats.[1] In the NFL, Smith was a return specialist. In 1950, he set a record by returning three kicks for touchdowns in a single season. That record would stand until 1967.[2]
Verda T. Smith married Myra Pearce, daughter of Mr. and Mr.s Herman F. Pearce, in Ventura, California on August 15, 1946. He was a student at Abilene Christian College at the time.[3]
NFL career statistics
[edit]| Legend | |
|---|---|
| Won the NFL championship | |
| Bold | Career high |
Regular season
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1949 | RAM | 12 | 4 | 40 | 117 | 2.9 | 26 | 2 | 5 | 63 | 12.6 | 24 | 1 |
| 1950 | RAM | 12 | 4 | 51 | 250 | 4.9 | 25 | 1 | 16 | 279 | 17.4 | 67 | 4 |
| 1951 | RAM | 12 | 9 | 52 | 143 | 2.8 | 31 | 1 | 16 | 278 | 17.4 | 67 | 1 |
| 1952 | RAM | 12 | 10 | 57 | 133 | 2.3 | 20 | 3 | 16 | 254 | 15.9 | 56 | 3 |
| 1953 | RAM | 11 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 3.3 | 21 | 0 | 6 | 151 | 25.2 | 54 | 3 |
| 59 | 30 | 208 | 669 | 3.2 | 31 | 7 | 59 | 1,025 | 17.4 | 67 | 12 | ||
Playoffs
[edit]| Year | Team | Games | Rushing | Receiving | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GP | GS | Att | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Rec | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | ||
| 1949 | RAM | 1 | 1 | 6 | 11 | 1.8 | - | 0 | 2 | 11 | 5.5 | - | 0 |
| 1950 | RAM | 2 | 2 | 7 | 23 | 3.3 | 15 | 0 | 4 | 81 | 20.3 | 38 | 0 |
| 1951 | RAM | 1 | 0 | 9 | 15 | 1.7 | 8 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18.0 | 18 | 0 |
| 1952 | RAM | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | -2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 |
| 5 | 4 | 26 | 41 | 1.6 | 15 | 0 | 7 | 110 | 15.7 | 38 | 0 | ||
References
[edit]- ^ Hadfield, Ron (February 3, 2016). "Wildcats are witnesses to NFL title history". ACU Today. Abilene Christian University. Archived from the original on August 14, 2022. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Standout Ram Kick Returner Vitamin T. Smith Dead at 76". Los Angeles Times. Associated Press. February 16, 2000. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
- ^ "Ventura County Star 17 Aug 1946, page 3 - Newspapers.com". Archived from the original on December 14, 2023. Retrieved December 26, 2024.
 | This biographical article relating to an American football running back born in the 1920s is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
- 1923 births
- 2000 deaths
- United States Army personnel of World War II
- American football running backs
- American football return specialists
- Abilene Christian Wildcats football players
- Los Angeles Rams players
- People from Lake Dallas, Texas
- Players of American football from Denton County, Texas
- People from Sweetwater, Texas
- 20th-century American sportsmen
- American football running back, 1920s birth stubs