Paul Smith (quarterback)
Encyclopedia
Paul Smith is an American professional gridiron football
quarterback
. He was released before training camp by the Montreal Alouettes
in the Canadian Football League
. He played college football
at Tulsa
.
for two years, then finished high school at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma
. He set a state high school passing record with 9,574 yards in 4 seasons.
, then became the Golden Hurricane's starting quarterback in 2005. He led Tulsa to a 9-4 record and the Conference USA
title. He capped off the 2005 season with a 31-24 win over Fresno State
in the 2005 Liberty Bowl
(Tulsa's first bowl win since 1991); Smith passed for 234 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for the winning touchdown. Smith was named the game's most valuable player.
In 2006, Smith was tagged as one of Conference USA
's top quarterbacks in preseason, along with such players as future Philadelphia Eagles
quarterback Kevin Kolb
, and was widely recognized as the leader and face of the Tulsa football program. In Tulsa's scheme, Smith threw many screen pass
es to running backs Tarrion Adams, Courtney Tennial, and wide receiver
Idris Moss. The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a stellar 7-1 start with the inside track on a second straight West Division championship, but the team experienced a breakdown amid turmoil resulting from rumors of teams trying to woo away coach
Steve Kragthorpe
. Tulsa lost its contest against Utah
in the Armed Forces Bowl
25-13, making their season record stand at 8-5.
In 2007, Smith led the Golden Hurricane to a 10-4 record and a win in the 2008 GMAC Bowl
while also winning the 2007 Conference USA player of the year award In 2007, Smith won the Wuerffel Trophy
which goes to the top humanitarian in college football
and was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy
. He was also selected to play in the 2008 Cornerstone Hula Bowl
, where he passed for 47 yards and ran for the game's first two touchdowns for the winning Aina (East) team.
A three-year starter
with the Golden Hurricane, Smith threw a combined 82 touchdown
passes and 34 interceptions
while taking his team to 3 straight bowl
appearances. Smith holds the NCAA
record with 14 consecutive games passing for more than 300 yards.
and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars
on April 28. Jacksonville immediately waived their third-team quarterback, allowing Smith to take his spot on the scout team
.
On July 31, 2008 Smith was waived by the Jaguars. On August 31, Smith was re-signed to the Jaguars' practice squad. He was waived on August 30, 2009 to make room on the roster for Todd Boeckman
.
After spending the next year out of football and briefly taking a position as a financial adviser
, Smith signed a two-year contract with the Montreal Alouettes
of the CFL on February 2, 2011.
Gridiron football
Gridiron football , sometimes known as North American football, is an umbrella term for related codes of football primarily played in the United States and Canada. The predominant forms of gridiron football are American football and Canadian football...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
. He was released before training camp by 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...
in 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 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...
at Tulsa
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tulsa Golden Hurricane athletics programs include the extramural and intramural sports team of the University of Tulsa. These teams are referred to as the Tulsa Golden Hurricane...
.
High school career
Smith attended Deer Creek High School in Edmond, OklahomaEdmond, Oklahoma
Edmond is a city in Oklahoma County, Oklahoma, United States, and a part of the Oklahoma City metropolitan area in the central part of the state. As of the 2010 census, the population was 81,405, making it the sixth largest city in the state of Oklahoma....
for two years, then finished high school at Owasso High School in Owasso, Oklahoma
Owasso, Oklahoma
Owasso is a city in Rogers and Tulsa counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma, and a northern suburb of Tulsa. The population was 28,915 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Owasso is located at...
. He set a state high school passing record with 9,574 yards in 4 seasons.
College career
Arriving at Tulsa in 2003, Smith played in eight games as a true freshman. He sat out the 2004 season as a redshirtRedshirt (college sports)
Redshirt is a term used in American college athletics that refers to a delay or suspension of an athlete's participation in order to lengthen his or her period of eligibility...
, then became the Golden Hurricane's starting quarterback in 2005. He led Tulsa to a 9-4 record and the Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
title. He capped off the 2005 season with a 31-24 win over Fresno State
Fresno State Bulldogs football
The Fresno State Bulldogs football team represents California State University, Fresno in NCAA Division I FBS college football. The green “V” on the Bulldogs' helmets, uniforms, field symbolize California Central Valley, specifically the San Joaquin Valley, the agricultural valley from which they...
in the 2005 Liberty Bowl
2005 Liberty Bowl
The 2005 AutoZone Liberty Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Fresno State Bulldogs and the on December 31, 2005, at Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium in Memphis, Tennessee. In a closely contested game which went back and forth Tulsa defeated Fresno State 31-24...
(Tulsa's first bowl win since 1991); Smith passed for 234 yards and a touchdown, and also ran for the winning touchdown. Smith was named the game's most valuable player.
In 2006, Smith was tagged as one of Conference USA
Conference USA
Conference USA, officially abbreviated C-USA, is a college athletic conference whose member institutions are located within the Southern United States. The conference participates in the NCAA's Division I in all sports...
's top quarterbacks in preseason, along with such players as future 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...
quarterback Kevin Kolb
Kevin Kolb
Kevin Benjamin Kolb is an American football quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals of the National Football League . He was drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round of the 2007 NFL Draft. He played college football at Houston....
, and was widely recognized as the leader and face of the Tulsa football program. In Tulsa's scheme, Smith threw many screen pass
Screen pass
A screen pass is a type of play in American football. During a screen pass, a number of things happen concurrently in order to fool the defense into thinking a long pass is being thrown, when in fact the pass is merely a short one, just beyond the defensive linemen. Screens are usually deployed...
es to running backs Tarrion Adams, Courtney Tennial, and 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...
Idris Moss. The Golden Hurricane jumped out to a stellar 7-1 start with the inside track on a second straight West Division championship, but the team experienced a breakdown amid turmoil resulting from rumors of teams trying to woo away coach
Coach (sport)
In sports, a coach is an individual involved in the direction, instruction and training of the operations of a sports team or of individual sportspeople.-Staff:...
Steve Kragthorpe
Steve Kragthorpe
Steve Kragthorpe is an American football coach and former player. He is currently the quarterbacks coach for the Louisiana State University Tigers football team. He was head coach at Louisville from 2007 to 2009, and for Tulsa from 2003 through 2006.- Early career :Kragthorpe was born in...
. Tulsa lost its contest against Utah
University of Utah
The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...
in the Armed Forces Bowl
Armed Forces Bowl
The Bell Helicopter Armed Forces Bowl is an annual postseason college football bowl game that was inaugurated in 2003 as the Fort Worth Bowl under corporate sponsorship of PlainsCapital Bank. In 2005, the game was without corporate sponsorship...
25-13, making their season record stand at 8-5.
In 2007, Smith led the Golden Hurricane to a 10-4 record and a win in the 2008 GMAC Bowl
2008 GMAC Bowl
The 2008 GMAC Bowl was an American college football bowl game. It was part of the 2007 NCAA Division I FBS football season and was the 9th annual playing of the game...
while also winning the 2007 Conference USA player of the year award In 2007, Smith won the Wuerffel Trophy
Wuerffel Trophy
The Wuerffel Trophy is an award given annually by the All Sports Association of Fort Walton Beach, Florida to the college football player "who best combines exemplary community service with athletic and academic achievement." It is named for Heisman Trophy winner Danny Wuerffel, a former football...
which goes to the top humanitarian in 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...
and was a finalist for the Draddy Trophy
Draddy Trophy
The William V. Campbell trophy, formerly the Vincent dePaul Draddy Trophy, is a trophy awarded by the National Football Foundation that is given to the American college football player with the best combination of academics, community service, and on-field performance...
. He was also selected to play in the 2008 Cornerstone Hula Bowl
Hula Bowl
The Hula Bowl was an independently administered post-season invitational college football game held each year in Hawaii from 1947 to 2008. The game was last played at Aloha Stadium in the Hālawa district of Honolulu, Hawaii. At one point the longest-running sporting event in Hawaii, it had been...
, where he passed for 47 yards and ran for the game's first two touchdowns for the winning Aina (East) team.
A three-year starter
Starting lineup
A starting lineup in sports is an official list of the set of players who will actively participate in the event when the game begins. The players in the starting lineup are commonly referred to as starters, whereas the others are substitutes or bench players.The starters are commonly the best...
with the Golden Hurricane, Smith threw a combined 82 touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
passes and 34 interceptions
Interception (football)
An interception, intercept or pick is a move in many forms of football, including Canadian and American football, as well as rugby league, rugby union, Australian rules football and Gaelic football, which involves a pass, either by foot or hand, being caught by an opposition player, who usually...
while taking his team to 3 straight bowl
Bowl game
In North America, a bowl game is commonly considered to refer to one of a number of post-season college football games. Prior to 2002, bowl game statistics were not included in players' career totals and the games were mostly considered to be exhibition games involving a payout to participating...
appearances. Smith holds the NCAA
National Collegiate Athletic Association
The National Collegiate Athletic Association is a semi-voluntary association of 1,281 institutions, conferences, organizations and individuals that organizes the athletic programs of many colleges and universities in the United States...
record with 14 consecutive games passing for more than 300 yards.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Smith was not selected in the 2008 NFL Draft2008 NFL Draft
The 2008 NFL Draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City on April 26 and April 27, 2008. For the 29th consecutive year, ESPN televised the draft; the NFL Network also broadcast the event, its third year doing so...
and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida, U.S. They are currently members of the South Division of the American Football Conference in the National Football League...
on April 28. Jacksonville immediately waived their third-team quarterback, allowing Smith to take his spot on the scout team
Scout team
In sports, the scout team, also referred to as a practice team, taxi squad, practice squad or practice roster, is a group of players on a team whose task is to emulate future opponents for the featured players. Frequently used in American or Canadian Football, these teams consist of less...
.
On July 31, 2008 Smith was waived by the Jaguars. On August 31, Smith was re-signed to the Jaguars' practice squad. He was waived on August 30, 2009 to make room on the roster for Todd Boeckman
Todd Boeckman
Todd Boeckman is an American football quarterback who is currently a free agent in the National Football League. He was signed by the Jaguars as an undrafted free agent on June 17, 2009...
.
Montreal Alouettes
In October 2009, Smith took a position as assistant chaplain at the University of Tulsa, apparently ending his playing career.After spending the next year out of football and briefly taking a position as a financial adviser
Financial adviser
A financial adviser, is a professional who renders financial services to individuals, businesses and governments. This can involve investment advice, which may include pension planning, and/or advice on life insurance and other insurances such as income protection insurance, critical illness...
, Smith signed a two-year contract with 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 CFL on February 2, 2011.