Clifton Smith, Jr. (born July 4, 1985) is an American former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who was a

running back A running back (RB) is a member of the offensive backfield in gridiron football. The primary roles of a running back are to receive American football plays#Offensive terminology, handoffs from the quarterback to Rush (American football)#Offen ...

and

return specialist A return specialist or kick returner is a player on the special teams unit of a gridiron football team who specializes in returning punts and kickoffs. There are few players who are exclusively return specialists; most also play another position ...

in 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),

Canadian Football League The Canadian Football League (CFL; french: Ligue canadienne de football—LCF) is a professional sports league in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football. The league consists of nine teams, each located in a ci ...

(CFL) and United Football League (UFL). He played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

for the

Fresno State Bulldogs The Fresno State Bulldogs are the intercollegiate athletic teams that represent California State University, Fresno (commonly referred to as Fresno State). The university is a member of NCAA Division I's Mountain West Conference (MW). It was a ...

. He was signed by the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

of the NFL as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

in 2008, and has also played for the NFL's

Miami Dolphins The Miami Dolphins are a professional American football team based in the Miami metropolitan area. They compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member team of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) East division. The team pla ...

and

Cleveland Browns The Cleveland Browns are a professional American football team based in Cleveland. Named after original coach and co-founder Paul Brown, they compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the American Football Conference ( ...

Professional career

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Smith was signed by the

as an

following the

2008 NFL Draft The 2008 NFL Draft was the 73rd annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible American football players. The draft took place at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, on April 26 and April 27, ...

on May 5, 2008. He was waived during final cuts on August 30, but was re-signed to the team's

practice squad In sports, the practice squad, also called the taxi squad or practice roster, is a group of players signed by a team but not part of their main roster. Frequently used in gridiron football, they serve as extra players during the team's practices, ...

on September 1. He was promoted to the active roster on October 25. In week 9 of the

2008 NFL season The 2008 NFL season was the 89th regular season of the National Football League, themed with the slogan "Believe in Now." Super Bowl XLIII, the league's championship game, was at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, on February 1, 2009, w ...

in a game against the

Kansas City Chiefs The Kansas City Chiefs are a professional American football team based in Kansas City, Missouri. The Chiefs compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The tea ...

, Smith took a kickoff return for a touchdown for 97 yards for just the second time in Buccaneer history. In week 12 of the 2008 NFL season in a game against the

Detroit Lions The Detroit Lions are a professional American football team based in Detroit. The Lions compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) North Division. The team play their home games at Ford ...

, Smith took a punt return for a touchdown for 70 yards. On December 16, 2008, Smith was named to his first career

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

as the NFC's return specialist. During an October 18, 2009 game against 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. T ...

, Smith suffered a concussion as a result of being rammed into by Panthers cornerback

Dante Wesley Dante Julius Wesley (born April 5, 1979) is a former American football cornerback. He was drafted by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round of the 2002 NFL Draft. He played college football at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Wesley w ...

while awaiting a punt return. The Panthers received a 15-yard penalty and Wesley was ejected from the game. Smith was placed on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

on December 8, 2009, due to a second concussion. He was re-signed on May 4, 2010 to a restricted free agent tender. On September 5, after claiming running back

Kregg Lumpkin Kregg Lumpkin (born May 15, 1984) is a former American football running back. He was signed by the Green Bay Packers as an undrafted free agent in 2008. He played college football at Georgia Bulldogs football, Georgia. Lumpkin also played for th ...

off waivers from the

Green Bay Packers The Green Bay Packers are a professional American football team based in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Packers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC North, North division. It ...

, the Buccaneers released Smith.

Miami Dolphins

On September 7, 2010, Smith signed with the

. He was released on September 21.

Cleveland Browns

Smith was signed by the

on November 16, 2010. He was released on December 1.

Virginia Destroyers

Smith was signed by the

Virginia Destroyers The Virginia Destroyers were a professional American football team based in Virginia Beach, Virginia. They began play in the United Football League (2009–2012), United Football League (UFL) in the 2011 UFL season, 2011 season. They played their ...

of the United Football League on June 7, 2011.

Calgary Stampeders

Smith was signed by the

Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a professional Canadian football team based in Calgary, Alberta. The Stampeders compete in the West Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL). The club plays its home games at McMahon Stadium and are the third-old ...

of the

on September 14, 2013. Smith was activated from the practice roster October 11, 2013 and suited up for his first CFL game against the BC Lions. He made an instant contribution returning the opening kickoff 54 yards. Smith scored his first CFL touchdown in the third quarter on a 6-yard pass from Kevin Glenn. He was released by the Stampeders on November 18, 2013.

Personal

Smith's younger brother, Brandon Breazell, was a wide receiver at

UCLA The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...

. Smith also has two sisters, Nichole and Brianna Smith. His parents' names are Roxanne Wright and Clifton Smith, Sr. In his spare time, Smith has said that he enjoys playing video games, sleeping and buying shoes. On his

Fresno State California State University, Fresno (Fresno State) is a public university in Fresno, California. It is one of 23 campuses in the California State University system. The university had a fall 2020 enrollment of 25,341 students. It offers bachelo ...

biography, Smith lists his favorite athlete as Deion Sanders. Smith often goes by the nickname "Peanut", used extensively by both teammates and fans.

References

External links

Just Sports Stats
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Clifton 1985 births Living people Sportspeople from Fresno, California American football cornerbacks American football running backs American football return specialists Cleveland Browns players Fresno State Bulldogs football players Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Miami Dolphins players National Conference Pro Bowl players Players of American football from California Virginia Destroyers players