Chris Smith (Canadian football)
Encyclopedia
Chris Smith is a professional Canadian football
safety formerly playing for the Montreal Alouettes
of the Canadian Football League
.
in football and also lettered in baseball
and basketball
. Smith played college football
for Florida International University
from 2003 to 2006, where he studied criminal justice. He finished college with 178 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss, a sack and one interception. Smith was one of two players who were dismissed from the Golden Panthers for their involvement in the Miami-FIU brawl
that occurred on October 14, 2006 in a game against Miami Hurricanes football
in what had been intended as the first of annual cross-town series between the Miami teams.
but was signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles
on April 30, 2007, and played in the pre-season but was ultimately released on August 27.
In June 2008, the Montreal Alouettes
signed Smith to the practice roster. On July 31, 2008, he played in his first regular season game and started at safety the following week. He ultimately played in nine games of the 2008 CFL season
before returning to the practice roster at the end of the year.
Canadian football
Canadian football is a form of gridiron football played exclusively in Canada in which two teams of 12 players each compete for territorial control of a field of play long and wide attempting to advance a pointed prolate spheroid ball into the opposing team's scoring area...
safety formerly playing for the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
of the Canadian Football League
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
.
Early years
Smith attended Gainesville High School, where he earned all-state honors as a seniorTwelfth grade
Twelfth grade or Senior year, or Grade Twelve, are the North American names for the final year of secondary school. In most countries students then graduate at age 17 or 18. In some countries, there is a thirteenth grade, while other countries do not have a 12th grade/year at all...
in football and also lettered in baseball
Baseball
Baseball is a bat-and-ball sport played between two teams of nine players each. The aim is to score runs by hitting a thrown ball with a bat and touching a series of four bases arranged at the corners of a ninety-foot diamond...
and basketball
Basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
. Smith played college football
College football
College football refers to American football played by teams of student athletes fielded by American universities, colleges, and military academies, or Canadian football played by teams of student athletes fielded by Canadian universities...
for Florida International University
FIU Golden Panthers football
The FIU Golden Panthers football team represent Florida International University in Miami, Florida in the sport of college football. The FIU Panthers are a mid-major NCAA FBS college football team in the Sun Belt Conference led by Mario Cristobal and play at the on-campus FIU Stadium.-History:On...
from 2003 to 2006, where he studied criminal justice. He finished college with 178 tackles and 12 tackles for a loss, a sack and one interception. Smith was one of two players who were dismissed from the Golden Panthers for their involvement in the Miami-FIU brawl
Miami-FIU brawl
The Florida International University – University of Miami was a bench-clearing brawl that occurred on October 14, 2006 in a college football game between the University of Miami Hurricanes and the at the Orange Bowl stadium in Miami, Florida....
that occurred on October 14, 2006 in a game against Miami Hurricanes football
Miami Hurricanes football
The Miami Hurricanes football program competes in the Atlantic Coast Conference of the NCAA's Division I Football Bowl Subdivision for the University of Miami. The program began in 1926 and has won five AP national championships...
in what had been intended as the first of annual cross-town series between the Miami teams.
Professional career
Smith went undrafted in the 2007 NFL Draft2007 NFL Draft
The 2007 National Football League Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 28 and April 29, 2007. The draft was televised for the 28th consecutive year on ESPN and ESPN2. The NFL Network also broadcast coverage of the event, its second year doing so...
but was signed as a free agent with the Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles are a professional American football team based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They are members of the East Division of the National Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 30, 2007, and played in the pre-season but was ultimately released on August 27.
In June 2008, the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
signed Smith to the practice roster. On July 31, 2008, he played in his first regular season game and started at safety the following week. He ultimately played in nine games of the 2008 CFL season
2008 CFL season
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 51st season for the league. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL...
before returning to the practice roster at the end of the year.