Wilf Smith (footballer born 1946)
Encyclopedia
Wilfred Samuel 'Wilf' Smith (born Wilfred Schmidt, 3 September 1946) is a former professional footballer, who played in The Football League
for six different teams between 1963 and 1978.
Born in Neumünster
, Germany
, Smith moved to England
with his family when he was a child. They also took the decision to Anglicise
their surname from Schmidt to Smith at this time. He joined Sheffield Wednesday
after leaving school, and captained both Sheffield Boys and England youth.
Smith initially joined Wednesday as an apprentice in 1962, but turned professional with them in September 1963 when he turned 17. In all he made 206 League appearances for The Owls, scoring four times, before leaving to join Coventry City
in 1970. He played 135 League matches in a five-year stay with the Sky Blues, but he found himself loaned out to both Brighton & Hove Albion
and Millwall
in his final season with the Midland club.
He rounded off his footballing career with a 20-month spell at Bristol Rovers
between March 1975 and November 1976, followed by nineteen months at Chesterfield
. He played a total of 432 Football League games, and scored nine goals during his career.
After hanging up his boots, Smith moved into retail, and in 1994 he was reputed to have become a millionaire through his off-the-field business.
The Football League
The Football League, also known as the npower Football League for sponsorship reasons, is a league competition featuring professional association football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888, it is the oldest such competition in world football...
for six different teams between 1963 and 1978.
Born in Neumünster
Neumünster
Neumünster is an independent town in Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, which has a total of four independent towns.-Current Situation:Neumünster station is major railway junction with lines running in six directions, including the important Hamburg-Altona–Kiel and Neumünster–Flensburg lines.Near...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Smith moved to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
with his family when he was a child. They also took the decision to Anglicise
Anglicisation
Anglicisation, or anglicization , is the process of converting verbal or written elements of any other language into a form that is more comprehensible to an English speaker, or, more generally, of altering something such that it becomes English in form or character.The term most often refers to...
their surname from Schmidt to Smith at this time. He joined Sheffield Wednesday
Sheffield Wednesday F.C.
Sheffield Wednesday Football Club are a football club based in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, who are currently competing in the Football League One in the 2011-12 season, in England. Sheffield Wednesday are one of the oldest professional clubs in the world and the fourth oldest in the...
after leaving school, and captained both Sheffield Boys and England youth.
Smith initially joined Wednesday as an apprentice in 1962, but turned professional with them in September 1963 when he turned 17. In all he made 206 League appearances for The Owls, scoring four times, before leaving to join Coventry City
Coventry City F.C.
Coventry City Football Club, otherwise known as the Sky Blues owing to the traditional colour of their strip, are a professional English Football league club based in Coventry...
in 1970. He played 135 League matches in a five-year stay with the Sky Blues, but he found himself loaned out to both Brighton & Hove Albion
Brighton & Hove Albion F.C.
Brighton & Hove Albion Football Club are an English association football club based in the coastal city of Brighton & Hove, East Sussex. They currently play in the Football League Championship, the second tier of the English football league system....
and Millwall
Millwall F.C.
Millwall Football Club is an English professional football club based in South Bermondsey, south east London, that plays in the Football League Championship, the second tier of English football. Founded as Millwall Rovers in 1885, the club has retained its name despite having last played in the...
in his final season with the Midland club.
He rounded off his footballing career with a 20-month spell at Bristol Rovers
Bristol Rovers F.C.
Bristol Rovers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Bristol, that competes in Football League Two. The team plays its home matches at the Memorial Stadium, in the Horfield area of the city....
between March 1975 and November 1976, followed by nineteen months at Chesterfield
Chesterfield F.C.
Chesterfield Football Club is an English football club based in Chesterfield, Derbyshire. The club currently plays in Football League One, the third tier of English football. Despite being the fourth oldest Football League club in England, they have spent most of their existence in the lower...
. He played a total of 432 Football League games, and scored nine goals during his career.
After hanging up his boots, Smith moved into retail, and in 1994 he was reputed to have become a millionaire through his off-the-field business.