Courtney Smith (American football, born 1987)
Encyclopedia
Courtney Smith is an American football
wide receiver
for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
of the Canadian Football League
. He was signed by the New York Jets
of the National Football League
after going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft
. He played college football at the University of South Alabama
.
. He was separated from his sister and parents for several week due to Katrina. After evacuating to Texas and attending high school there, his family moved to Prattville, Alabama
. Smith was a big prospect coming out of Prattville High School
and, prior to that, John F. Kennedy High School
in New Orleans. Smith was recruited by Alabama, LSU
, Florida State
, Memphis
, Troy
, Tulane
and Southern Methodist
before he accepted a scholarship to play at UAB
. Smith would end his college career at South Alabama
.
Smith's uncle, Wayne Smith, was a standout at Tulane
in the early '60s.
, where he played in 11 of 12 contests while earning a start in the final game of the year. He posted six catches for 33 yards. Smith had two receptions for 14 yards, both season-high totals, for UAB against ninth-ranked Georgia in the third game of the year. Smith transferred to Southeastern Louisiana University
and played in the Lions’ 2007 season opener, catching one pass for eight yards at New Mexico State. Smith later transferred to South Alabama
, where he would stay for the remainder of his college career. He ended his career at USA with 59 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading his team in every category.
Smith is South Alabama's first player to be selected for the Under Armour
Senior Bowl
and is the first Jaguar to be signed to an NFL
roster.
on July 26, 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Smith became the first player from the University of South Alabama
to be on a NFL roster. He was waived on August 30.
's Hamilton Tiger-Cats
on September 29, 2011 and placed on their practice squad.
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...
wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
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....
. He was signed by the New York Jets
New York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
of 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...
after going undrafted in the 2011 NFL Draft
2011 NFL Draft
The 2011 NFL Draft was the 76th installment of the annual NFL Draft, where the franchises of the National Football League select newly eligible football players...
. He played college football at the University of South Alabama
University of South Alabama
The University of South Alabama is a public, doctoral-level university in Mobile, Alabama, USA. It was created by the Alabama Legislature in 1963, and replaced existing extension programs operated in Mobile by the University of Alabama. No other areas of the state were willing to support such a...
.
Personal Life
Smith, originally from New Orleans, was forced to leave his home during Hurricane KatrinaHurricane Katrina
Hurricane Katrina of the 2005 Atlantic hurricane season was a powerful Atlantic hurricane. It is the costliest natural disaster, as well as one of the five deadliest hurricanes, in the history of the United States. Among recorded Atlantic hurricanes, it was the sixth strongest overall...
. He was separated from his sister and parents for several week due to Katrina. After evacuating to Texas and attending high school there, his family moved to Prattville, Alabama
Prattville, Alabama
Prattville is a city in Autauga and Elmore counties in the U.S. state of Alabama. As of the 2010 Census, the population of the city is 33,960. Nicknamed "The Fountain City" due to the many artesian wells in the area, Prattville is part of the Montgomery metropolitan statistical area and serves as...
. Smith was a big prospect coming out of Prattville High School
Prattville High School
Prattville High School, formerly Autauga County High School, is a high school in Prattville, Alabama and forms part of the Autauga County School System...
and, prior to that, John F. Kennedy High School
John F. Kennedy High School (New Orleans, Louisiana)
John F. Kennedy High School was a high school located in the Lakeshore area of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the United States. The school closed down subsequent to Hurricane Katrina in the fall of 2005...
in New Orleans. Smith was recruited by Alabama, LSU
LSU Tigers
The LSU Tigers are the athletic teams of Louisiana State University. They participate in the NCAA's Division I, in the Southeastern Conference. It fields teams in 14 varsity sports . Its official team nickname is the Fighting Tigers and the school mascot is Mike the Tiger...
, Florida State
Florida State Seminoles
The Florida State Seminoles are the men's and women's sports teams of Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida. Florida State participates in the NCAA's Division I . FSU joined the Atlantic Coast Conference in 1991, and competes in the Atlantic Division in any sports split into a...
, Memphis
Memphis Tigers
The Memphis Tigers represent the University of Memphis in Division I of the NCAA. They are members of C-USA and currently feature nine women's sports and nine men's sports...
, Troy
Troy Trojans
The Troy Trojans were a Major League Baseball team in the National League for four seasons from 1879 to 1882. Their home games were played at Putnam Grounds , Haymakers' Grounds , and Troy Ball Clubs Grounds , all in the upstate New York city of Troy. Overall, the franchise won 131 games and lost...
, Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
and Southern Methodist
SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs is the name of the athletic teams representing Southern Methodist University. The Mustangs participate in the NCAA's Division I as a member of Conference USA. In 2005, SMU accepted an invitation to the Western Division of Conference USA, and left the Western Athletic Conference...
before he accepted a scholarship to play at UAB
UAB Blazers
The UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school is one of the twelve member institutions of Conference USA and participates in Division I of the NCAA...
. Smith would end his college career at South Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...
.
Smith's uncle, Wayne Smith, was a standout at Tulane
Tulane Green Wave
Green Wave, the nickname of the sports teams of Tulane University, was adopted during the 1920 season, after a song titled The Rolling Green Wave was published in Tulane's student newspaper in 1920. From 1893 to 1919, the athletic teams of Tulane were known as the Olive and Blue for the official...
in the early '60s.
Collegiate career
Smith started his collegiate career at UABUAB Blazers
The UAB Blazers are the forest green and old gold-swathed athletic teams at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The school is one of the twelve member institutions of Conference USA and participates in Division I of the NCAA...
, where he played in 11 of 12 contests while earning a start in the final game of the year. He posted six catches for 33 yards. Smith had two receptions for 14 yards, both season-high totals, for UAB against ninth-ranked Georgia in the third game of the year. Smith transferred to Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University
Southeastern Louisiana University is a state-funded public university in Hammond, Louisiana, United States. It was founded in 1925 by Linus A. Sims, the principal of Hammond High School, as Hammond Junior College, located in a wing of the high school building. Sims succeeded in getting the campus...
and played in the Lions’ 2007 season opener, catching one pass for eight yards at New Mexico State. Smith later transferred to South Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...
, where he would stay for the remainder of his college career. He ended his career at USA with 59 catches for 1,282 yards and 10 touchdowns, leading his team in every category.
Smith is South Alabama's first player to be selected for the Under Armour
Under Armour
Under Armour is an American sports clothing and accessories company. The company is a supplier of a wide range of sportswear and casual apparel mainly focusing on hi-tech sportswear for professional athletes...
Senior Bowl
Senior Bowl
The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football exhibition game played in Mobile, Alabama which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those collegiate players who have completed their eligibility. First played in 1950 in Jacksonville, Florida, the game moved to Mobile's Ladd Peebles Stadium...
and is the first Jaguar to be signed to an NFL
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...
roster.
New York Jets
Smith accepted a contract with the New York JetsNew York Jets
The New York Jets are a professional football team headquartered in Florham Park, New Jersey, representing the New York metropolitan area. The team is a member of the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on July 26, 2011 for an undisclosed amount. Smith became the first player from the University of South Alabama
South Alabama Jaguars
The South Alabama Jaguars represent the University of South Alabama in NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletics.USA competes in the Sun Belt Conference; it is the conference's only remaining charter member from its inception. USA's athletics teams are nicknamed the Jaguars. Popular sports are...
to be on a NFL roster. He was waived on August 30.
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Smith was signed by the Canadian Football LeagueCanadian 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....
's Hamilton Tiger-Cats
Hamilton Tiger-Cats
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats are a Canadian Football League team based in Hamilton, Ontario, founded in 1950 with the merger of the Hamilton Tigers and the Hamilton Wildcats. The Tiger-Cats play their home games at Ivor Wynne Stadium...
on September 29, 2011 and placed on their practice squad.