Darrell Karland Smith (November 5, 1961 – February 13, 2017) was a wide receiver in the

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 ...

for the

Toronto Argonauts The Toronto Argonauts (officially the Toronto Argonaut Football Club and colloquially known as the Argos) are a professional Canadian football team competing in the East Division of the Canadian Football League (CFL), based in Toronto, Ontario ...

and Edmonton Eskimos. He played college football at Central State University.

Early years

Smith attended Ursuline High School, where he played as a

quarterback The quarterback (commonly abbreviated "QB"), colloquially known as the "signal caller", is a position in gridiron football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive platoon and mostly line up directly behind the offensive line. In modern Ame ...

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 handoffs from the quarterback to rush the ball, to line up as a receiver to catch the ball, and block. Ther ...

and defensive back. He also practiced

basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular court, compete with the primary objective of shooting a basketball (approximately in diameter) through the defender's h ...

. He accepted a football scholarship from Central State University, with the intention of playing him at

. As senior in 1983, he led the team with 47 receptions for 814 yards (17.3-yard avg.) and 17 touchdowns in 12 games. He contributed to the team finishing with a 12-0 record school and making its first Division II playoff appearance, where they lost the title game to the

University of North Dakota The University of North Dakota (also known as UND or North Dakota) is a public research university in Grand Forks, North Dakota. It was established by the Dakota Territorial Assembly in 1883, six years before the establishment of the state of N ...

Professional career

In 1984, he was signed 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 ...

by the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divi ...

. He was released on August 27. On November 29, he was signed as a

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 ...

by the Cincinnati Bengals, for the 1985 training camp. He was released on August 12, 1985. In 1986, he signed as a

with the

of the

. In 1990, he caught a league record of 20 touchdowns, to go along with 1,826 receiving yards. He finished his career with the Argonauts with 465 receptions for 8,144 yards, 52 touchdowns and 84 kickoffs returns for 1,139 yards. He set team records for single-season touchdown receptions (20), consecutive games with a reception (96) and average yards per catch (17.5). He ranks second All-time in career and single-season 200-yard receiving games (2), third in receiving yards in a single-season (1,826) and 100-yard receiving games (25), and fifth in receiving touchdowns (111) and combined yards (9,374). He appeared in two Grey Cup games with the Argonauts, losing in 1987 and winning in 1991. In January 1993, he was traded to the Edmonton Eskimos as a part of the largest trade in CFL history, involving 16 players. In August, he was released after appearing in 4 games. In 1994, he signed as a

with the

expansion franchise

Shreveport Pirates The Shreveport Pirates were a Canadian Football League team, playing at Independence Stadium in Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, in 1994 and 1995. Despite a relatively strong fan base, they were one of the least successful of the CFL's A ...

. He was released before the start of the season. He finished his football career with 476 receptions for 8,236 yards and 52 touchdowns.

Personal life

On February 13, 2017, he died of cancer at the age of 55. His brother was former NFL player

Sherman Smith Sherman Smith (born November 1, 1954) is a former professional American football running back who played eight seasons for the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers between 1976 and 1983. He was also the running backs coach for the Seahawks ...

. Married: Frances Foster Children: Daimeyon K Smith

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Darrell 1961 births 2017 deaths Players of American football from Youngstown, Ohio American players of Canadian football Canadian football slotbacks Canadian football wide receivers Central State Marauders football players Toronto Argonauts players Edmonton Elks players Deaths from cancer