Jerry Smith (tight end)

For the American football coach, see Jerry Smith (coach).

Jerry Smith

No. 87
Position:	Tight end
Personal information
Born:	(1943-07-19)July 19, 1943 Eugene, Oregon
Died:	October 15, 1986(1986-10-15) (aged 43) Silver Spring, Maryland
Career information
College:	Arizona State
NFL draft:	1965 / round: 9 / pick: 118
AFL draft:	1965 / round: 18 / pick: 141
Career history
Washington Redskins (1965–1977)
Career highlights and awards
2× Pro Bowl selection (1967, 69) 80 Greatest Redskins Washington Redskins Ring of Fame
Career NFL statistics
Receiving yards: 5,496 Average: 13.1 Touchdowns: 60 Stats at Pro Football Reference

Gerald "Jerry" Sanford Smith (July 19, 1943 – October 15, 1986) was a professional American football tight end for the National Football League's Washington Redskins from 1965–1977. By the time he retired he held the NFL record for most career touchdowns by a tight end. A 2014 documentary from the NFL Network's A Football Life series profiles his career, as well as his "double life as a closeted gay man and a star athlete".

Professional career

Playing for Otto Graham's, Vince Lombardi's and George Allen's Redskins, Smith had a stellar career. He played in the 1973 Super Bowl VII, and Sports Illustrated called him "an outstanding receiver among tight ends, with the ability to break open for a long gain". In his career Smith caught 421 passes, including 60 touchdowns, a record for tight ends at the time. He was named All-Pro twice and held several NFL records that stood for years.

Death

Smith died of AIDS on October 15, 1986. He was the first former professional athlete to die of the disease. Although he acknowledged that he had AIDS, he never publicly acknowledged he was gay. Head coach Vince Lombardi, who had a gay brother, demanded a homophobia-free locker room but "not even the legendary Lombardi could insulate him from the crippling societal homophobia of the era". Smith's sexuality was confirmed after his death by former teammate pro NFL football player David Kopay, who had come out of the closet years earlier. The Redskins logo, along with Jerry Smith's uniform number 87, was part of the AIDS quilt.

See also

• Homosexuality in American football

Sources

• "Brief history of gay athletes". ESPN. December 18, 1998.
• Provenzano, Jim. "Who was the first gay football player to play in the Super Bowl?". Baltimore OUTloud. Archived from the original on January 11, 2008. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
• Solomon, George (August 26, 1986). "Ex-Redskin Jerry Smith Says He's Battling AIDS;'Maybe It Will Help People Understand". Washington Post.