Gideon Smith

Gideon Smith

Date of birth	(1889-07-13)July 13, 1889
Place of birth	Virginia
Date of death	1961
Career information
Position(s)	Tackle
US college	Michigan Agricultural
Career history
As player
1915	Canton Bulldogs
Career highlights and awards
Ohio League champion (1915)

Gideon Edward Smith (July 13, 1889 – 1961), sometimes referred to as G. E. Smith, was an American football player and coach.

Smith played college football at Michigan Agricultural College (MAC), now known as Michigan State University, from 1913 to 1914. He was the first African-American varsity athlete in any sport at MAC.

Smith also played one game of professional football while still attending MAC. He appeared as a tackle in one game for the Canton Bulldogs of the Ohio League, becoming one of the first African-Americans to play professional football. He played for the Bulldogs as a late fourth-quarter substitute on November 28, 1915 against their rivals, the Massillon Tigers. During that game he made a game-saving fumble recovery that preserved a 6-0 Canton victory over the Tigers for the "state championship." Smith was the last African-American to play professional football exclusively prior to the formation of the National Football League.

After graduating from MAC in 1916, Smith became a teacher at the West Virginia Collegiate Institute, now known as West Virginia State University. He also served in 1920 as a teacher at the Virginia Normal and Industrial Institute in Matoaca, Virginia.

In 1921, Smith became the head football coach at Hampton Institute, now known as Hampton University, in Hampton, Virginia. He remained the head football coach at Hampton until 1940, compiling a 102-44-12 record, including six one-loss seasons and two undefeated seasons in 1926 and 1931. His 1931 team outscored opponents 187 to 6. Smith was inducted into the Hampton Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.

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