Charles Henry Smith, III (born December 21, 1969) is a former

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team wi ...

player and current outside linebacker coach for the

Baltimore Ravens The Baltimore Ravens are a professional American football team based in Baltimore, Maryland. The Ravens compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference (AFC) North division. The team plays it ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He played college football at the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state ...

and professionally in the

(NFL) with the Atlanta Falcons from 1992 to 1999 and the

Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL), as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. ...

in 2000. Smith spent the 2010 season as an assistant coach as his alma mater, Tennessee. He also has worked as a radio host in

Atlanta Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

High school and college years

Smith attended

Clarke Central High School Clarke Central High School (CCHS) is located in Athens, Georgia, United States. In 1970, Clarke County schools were desegregated, and the high school for black children, Burney-Harris High School (formerly Athens High and Industrial School), and t ...

Athens, Georgia Athens, officially Athens–Clarke County, is a consolidated city-county and college town in the U.S. state of Georgia. Athens lies about northeast of downtown Atlanta, and is a satellite city of the capital. The University of Georgia, the sta ...

, While playing two years in the NJCAA at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M, scouts took notice of Smith's natural athletic ability, which earned him a full scholarship to the

. While at Tennessee, Smith played in both the Sugar and the

Fiesta Bowl The Fiesta Bowl is an American college football bowl game played annually in the Phoenix metropolitan area. From its beginning in 1971 until 2006, the game was hosted at the Sun Devil Stadium in Tempe, Arizona. Since 2007, the game has been pla ...

and earned Most Valuable Player honors at the

Senior Bowl The Senior Bowl is a post-season college football all-star game played annually in late January or early February in Mobile, Alabama, which showcases the best NFL Draft prospects of those players who have completed their college eligibility. Pr ...

Professional playing career

Smith was selected in the second round of the

1992 NFL Draft The 1992 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The draft was held April 26–27, 1992, at the Marriott ...

by the Atlanta Falcons. For eight seasons in Atlanta, from 1992 to 1999, Smith established himself as an

All-Pro All-Pro is an honor bestowed upon professional American football players that designates the best player at each position during a given season. All-Pro players are typically selected by press organizations, who select an "All-Pro team," a list t ...

defensive end and led the Falcons to

Super Bowl XXXIII Super Bowl XXXIII was an American football game played between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion Denver Broncos (who were also defending their Super Bowl XXXII championship) and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Atlan ...

. In 2000, Smith left Atlanta to join the

. He ended his career there after one season following multiple surgeries on his right knee.

NFL career statistics

Life after playing career

Smith worked as a radio host with

WVEE WVEE (103.3 FM, "V-103") is a commercial radio station in Atlanta, Georgia. It is owned by Audacy, Inc. and airs an urban contemporary radio format. WVEE is one of the highest-rated stations of the Atlanta radio market according to Nielsen Aud ...

(V-103) in

. Smith also works as a personal trainer for other football players. He has two sons, Chuck the 4th, and Maddox. Also one daughter, Giovani. He weighs less than he did during his football career and has spoken out about the health risks associated with the increasing size of football players. On February 5, 2010, Smith accepted a position as defensive line coach at his alma mater, the

. Smith left the

Tennessee Volunteers The Tennessee Volunteers and Lady Volunteers are the 20 male and female varsity intercollegiate athletics programs that represent the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, Tennessee. The Volunteers compete in Division I of the National Collegi ...

coaching staff after a mutual decision with head coach Derek Dooley on February 6, 2011. He resumed his coaching career when he joined the

as an outside linebacker coach for the

2023 NFL season The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league in the United States and the highest professional level of American football in the world. It was formed in 1920 as the ''American Professional Football Association'' ( ...

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Chuck 1969 births Living people American football defensive ends American radio personalities Atlanta Falcons players Carolina Panthers players Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen football players Tennessee Volunteers football coaches Tennessee Volunteers football players Sportspeople from Athens, Georgia Players of American football from Atlanta Baltimore Ravens coaches