Tody Smith
Encyclopedia
Lawrence Edward Smith was an American football
defensive end
in the National Football League
.
All-America
n at Charlton-Pollard High School in Beaumont, Texas
, where he played for his father W.R. Smith.
Smith acquired his nickname in a junior high school Spanish class. Apparently Tody came from toro (bull), because he was the largest boy in his class.
but transferred to the University of Southern California
after his sophomore year, where he became a standout defensive tackle and a member of the original "Wild Bunch".
He teamed in the defensive line with Al Cowlings
, Jimmy Gunn
, Willard "Bubba" Scott, and Charlie Weaver
to form in 1969 "The Wild Bunch," which was key for USC
to compile a 10-0-1 record and a No. 3 ranking after a victory over Michigan University in the 1970 Rose Bowl
.
The Wild Bunch
was a hit movie in 1969 and it was Cowlings who dubbed the defensive line 'The Wild Bunch' for their reckless abandon and hard-nosed style of play. Playing in an era of powerful running games, they allowed just 2.3 yards per carry and a a league-low 95.6 rushing yards a game.
Smith played two seasons (1969–70) for the Trojans. In 1969 he was honorable Mention All PAC-8 and in 1970 he was a Second Team All-American, even though he played only four games as a senior because of an ankle injury.
There is a statue of him and the other four at USC's
Heritage Hall. He also appeared in the famed gunslinger photo of the five of them.
in the 1st round of the 1971 NFL Draft
as a defensive end
.
An ankle injury suffered during his senior season at college limited him to only 7 games during his rookie year. He spent the first seven games of the season on the team's taxi squad, but when he joined the 40-man roster, he quickly convinced the Cowboys he had a future in the NFL and even contributed in the Cowboys win in Super Bowl VI
.
Although he had surgery during the off-season on an injured knee, head coach Tom Landry
seemed convinced Smith had the capability to start in 1972
.
After a disappointing second year where he only played 10 games, he was traded along with Billy Parks
before the 1973 season
to the Houston Oilers, for their first and third round draft picks in the 1974 NFL Draft
. For the first time in their history, the Dallas Cowboys
had the first overall draft choice which they used to select Ed "Too Tall" Jones. With he third round they acquired, the Cowboys drafted Danny White
.
in 1976
where he played only 2 games and retired at the end of the season, having played 69 games in 7 seasons in the NFL.
er Bubba Smith
. Like his brother, Tody appeared in a few films, including The Hollywood Knights
and eventually became his agent. Smith was married to Chae Castillo, a professional model/actress. They have a 22-year-old daughter Rheo Smith, and an 18-year-old son Dakota Castillo-Smith, a 6'8" football player who recently graduated from Westchester High School
in Los Angeles, redshirting at USC.
Smith died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles
in 1999.
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
in the National Football League
National Football League
The National Football League is the highest level of professional American football in the United States, and is considered the top professional American football league in the world. It was formed by eleven teams in 1920 as the American Professional Football Association, with the league changing...
.
High school career
Smith was a prepHigh school football
High school football, in North America, refers to the game of football as it is played in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both of these nations....
All-America
All-America
An All-America team is an honorary sports team composed of outstanding amateur players—those considered the best players of a specific season for each team position—who in turn are given the honorific "All-America" and typically referred to as "All-American athletes", or simply...
n at Charlton-Pollard High School in Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont, Texas
Beaumont is a city in and county seat of Jefferson County, Texas, United States, within the Beaumont–Port Arthur Metropolitan Statistical Area. The city's population was 118,296 at the 2010 census. With Port Arthur and Orange, it forms the Golden Triangle, a major industrial area on the...
, where he played for his father W.R. Smith.
Smith acquired his nickname in a junior high school Spanish class. Apparently Tody came from toro (bull), because he was the largest boy in his class.
College career
He attended Michigan State UniversityMichigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
but transferred to the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
after his sophomore year, where he became a standout defensive tackle and a member of the original "Wild Bunch".
He teamed in the defensive line with Al Cowlings
Al Cowlings
Allen G. Cowlings is a retired American football player, known for his role in the saga of O.J. Simpson's murder trial...
, Jimmy Gunn
Jimmy Gunn
Jimmy Gunn is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-Professional career:Gunn played for the Chicago Bears, New York Giants and Tampa Bay Buccaneers between 1970 and 1976....
, Willard "Bubba" Scott, and Charlie Weaver
Charlie Weaver
Charles Earl Weaver is a retired American football linebacker in the National Football League.-College career:Weaver was an 1970 All-American defensive end at the University of Southern California...
to form in 1969 "The Wild Bunch," which was key for USC
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
to compile a 10-0-1 record and a No. 3 ranking after a victory over Michigan University in the 1970 Rose Bowl
1970 Rose Bowl
The 1970 Rose Bowl was a college football bowl game played on January 1, 1970. It was the 56th Rose Bowl Game. The USC Trojans, champions of the Pacific-8 Conference, defeated the Michigan Wolverines, champions of the Big Ten Conference, 10–3...
.
The Wild Bunch
Wild Bunch
The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang or the Oklahombres, was a gang of outlaws based in the Indian Territory that terrorized Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Territory during the 1890s—robbing banks and stores, holding up trains, and killing lawmen. They were...
was a hit movie in 1969 and it was Cowlings who dubbed the defensive line 'The Wild Bunch' for their reckless abandon and hard-nosed style of play. Playing in an era of powerful running games, they allowed just 2.3 yards per carry and a a league-low 95.6 rushing yards a game.
Smith played two seasons (1969–70) for the Trojans. In 1969 he was honorable Mention All PAC-8 and in 1970 he was a Second Team All-American, even though he played only four games as a senior because of an ankle injury.
There is a statue of him and the other four at USC's
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
Heritage Hall. He also appeared in the famed gunslinger photo of the five of them.
Dallas Cowboys
Smith was drafted by the Dallas CowboysDallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
in the 1st round of the 1971 NFL Draft
1971 NFL Draft
The 1971 National Football League Draft was held on January 28–29, 1971.-Player selections:-Round one:-Round two:-Round three:-Round four:-Round five:-Round six:-Round seven:-Round eight:-Round nine:-Round ten:...
as a defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
.
An ankle injury suffered during his senior season at college limited him to only 7 games during his rookie year. He spent the first seven games of the season on the team's taxi squad, but when he joined the 40-man roster, he quickly convinced the Cowboys he had a future in the NFL and even contributed in the Cowboys win in Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI
Super Bowl VI was an American football game played on January 16, 1972, at Tulane Stadium in New Orleans, Louisiana to decide the National Football League champion following the 1971 regular season...
.
Although he had surgery during the off-season on an injured knee, head coach Tom Landry
Tom Landry
Thomas Wade "Tom" Landry was an American football player and coach. He is ranked as one of the greatest and most innovative coaches in National Football League history, creating many new formations and methods...
seemed convinced Smith had the capability to start in 1972
1972 NFL season
The 1972 NFL season was the 53rd regular season of the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins became the first NFL team to finish a championship season undefeated and untied when they beat the Washington Redskins in Super Bowl VII.-Major rule changes:...
.
After a disappointing second year where he only played 10 games, he was traded along with Billy Parks
Billy Parks
William James "Billy" Parks was a former professional American football wide receiver in the National Football League...
before the 1973 season
1973 NFL season
The 1973 NFL season was the 54th regular season of the National Football League. The season featured O.J. Simpson becoming the first man to rush for 2,000 yards in one season...
to the Houston Oilers, for their first and third round draft picks in the 1974 NFL Draft
1974 NFL Draft
The 1974 National Football League Draft took place at the Americana Hotel in New York City on January 29–30, 1974. Each of the 26 NFL teams was granted 17 selections for a total of 442 picks....
. For the first time in their history, the Dallas Cowboys
Dallas Cowboys
The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football franchise which plays in the Eastern Division of the National Football Conference of the National Football League . They are headquartered in Valley Ranch in Irving, Texas, a suburb of Dallas...
had the first overall draft choice which they used to select Ed "Too Tall" Jones. With he third round they acquired, the Cowboys drafted Danny White
Danny White
Wilford Daniel "Danny" White is a former quarterback and punter for the Dallas Cowboys, an American football coach in the Arena Football League and also occasionally appears as an analyst on broadcasts of college football games. He was named the head coach of the Arena Football League expansion...
.
Buffalo Bills
He was traded to the Buffalo BillsBuffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills are a professional football team based in Buffalo, New York. They are currently members of the East Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
in 1976
1976 NFL season
The 1976 NFL season was the 57th regular season of the National Football League. The league expanded to 28 teams with the addition of the Seattle Seahawks and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers...
where he played only 2 games and retired at the end of the season, having played 69 games in 7 seasons in the NFL.
Personal
Smith's brother is actor and former NFL Pro BowlPro Bowl
In professional American football, the Pro Bowl is the all-star game of the National Football League . Since the merger with the rival American Football League in 1970, it has been officially called the AFC–NFC Pro Bowl, matching the top players in the American Football Conference against those...
er Bubba Smith
Bubba Smith
Charles Aaron "Bubba" Smith was an American professional football player who became an actor after his retirement from the sport. He first came into prominence at Michigan State University, where he twice earned All-American honors as a defensive end on the Spartans football team...
. Like his brother, Tody appeared in a few films, including The Hollywood Knights
The Hollywood Knights
The Hollywood Knights is an American motion picture comedy written and directed by Floyd Mutrux depicting the crass and mischievous antics and practical jokes of the remaining members of a 1950s-era car club turned social fraternity in and around Beverly Hills and Hollywood in 1965...
and eventually became his agent. Smith was married to Chae Castillo, a professional model/actress. They have a 22-year-old daughter Rheo Smith, and an 18-year-old son Dakota Castillo-Smith, a 6'8" football player who recently graduated from Westchester High School
Westchester High School (Los Angeles)
Westchester High School is a public high school in the Los Angeles Unified School District, Local District 3.It is located in Westchester , USA, a suburban neighborhood adjacent to Los Angeles International Airport and bordered by Playa Vista to the north, Inglewood to the east, El Segundo to the...
in Los Angeles, redshirting at USC.
Smith died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
in 1999.