Alex Smith facts for kids

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Alex Smith

Smith with the Washington Redskins in 2018

No. 11

Position:

Quarterback

Personal information

Born:

May 7, 1984 (age 41)
Bremerton, Washington, U.S.

Height:

6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)

Weight:

215 lb (98 kg)

Career information

High school:

Helix (La Mesa, California)

College:

Utah (2002–2004)

NFL Draft:

2005 / Round: 1 / Pick: 1

Career history

San Francisco 49ers (2005)
Kansas City Chiefs (2013)
Washington Redskins / Football Team (2018)

Career highlights and awards

NFL Comeback Player of the Year (2020)
3× Pro Bowl (2013, 2016, 2017)
NFL passer rating leader (2017)
George Halas Award (2021)
Sporting News Player of the Year (2004)
First-team All-American (2004)
MW Offensive Player of the Year (2004)
First-team All-MW (2004)
Second-team All-MW (2003)

Career NFL statistics

Passing attempts:	5,193
Passing completions:	3,250
Completion percentage:	62.6%
TD–INT:	199–109
Passing yards:	35,650
Passer rating:	86.9

Player stats at PFR

College Football Hall of Fame

Alexander Douglas Smith (born May 7, 1984) is a former professional football quarterback. He played in the National Football League (NFL) for 16 seasons. Smith played college football for the Utah Utes. He earned top honors and won the 2005 Fiesta Bowl as a senior.

Smith was the very first player picked in the 2005 NFL draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He faced challenges with injuries and playing consistently early in his career. In 2011, he led the 49ers to their first division title and playoff win since 2002. The next year, a head injury caused him to lose his starting spot.

Smith was then traded to the Kansas City Chiefs. He led them to the playoffs four times between 2013 and 2017. He also helped them win their first playoff game since 1993. Smith was chosen for the Pro Bowl three times with the Chiefs. He also helped mentor Patrick Mahomes, who later became an NFL MVP.

In 2018, Smith joined the Washington Redskins. He played well until he suffered a very serious leg injury. Many thought he would never play football again. However, after a long recovery, he returned in 2020. He led Washington to a division title and won NFL Comeback Player of the Year. Smith retired in 2021. His return from injury is seen as one of the greatest in NFL history.

Early Life and High School
College Career
Professional Career
Broadcasting Career
NFL Career Statistics
- Regular Season
- Postseason
Personal Life and Charity Work
Images for kids
See also

Early Life and High School

Smith was born in Bremerton, Washington, on May 7, 1984. He grew up in La Mesa, California. His father, Douglas D. Smith, was an executive director at Helix High School, where Alex attended.

As the starting quarterback for the Helix Highlanders, Smith led his team to an amazing 25–1 record. This included winning two San Diego CIF section championships. He was named the conference offensive player of the year twice. He also won the team MVP award for Helix twice.

During his time at Helix, Smith set a school record by throwing six touchdowns in one game. He also had the second-highest completion percentage in San Diego CIF history. He was teammates with future NFL star Reggie Bush. Both Smith and Bush were finalists for the 2004 Heisman Trophy. This was the first time two players from the same high school were finalists at the same ceremony.

Smith was also the president of his senior class in high school. He earned college credits while still in high school.

College Career

Smith went to the University of Utah and played for the Utah Utes. He wore jersey number 11. In 2004, he finished fourth in the voting for the Heisman Trophy. He was also named the 2004 Mountain West Conference Player of the Year.

Smith had a fantastic 21–1 record as a starting quarterback in college. He led a powerful offense under coach Urban Meyer. He guided the Utes to victories in the 2003 Liberty Bowl and the 2005 Fiesta Bowl. Smith earned a college degree in economics in just two years. He even started working on his master's degree before being drafted into the NFL.

Professional Career

Joining the NFL

At the NFL combine, Smith showed off his athletic skills. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.71 seconds. He also scored 40 out of 50 on the Wonderlic test, which measures intelligence.

The San Francisco 49ers chose Alex Smith as the first overall pick in the 2005 NFL draft. In July 2005, Smith signed a six-year contract with the 49ers. It was worth $49.5 million, with $24 million guaranteed.

San Francisco 49ers

Smith's first few years with the 49ers were tough. He dealt with injuries and changes in coaches. He had five different offensive coordinators in his first five seasons. This made it hard for him to play consistently.

In 2011, things changed for Smith. The 49ers hired Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach. Smith signed a one-year contract to stay with the team. He was named the starting quarterback. Smith led the 49ers to a 13–3 record that season. They won five games by coming from behind, including four on the road.

Smith helped the 49ers earn a first-round bye in the playoffs. He threw only 5 interceptions in 2011, which was a team record. In the playoffs, Smith led the 49ers to a thrilling 36–32 win over the New Orleans Saints. He threw for 299 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for another touchdown. He even threw the game-winning touchdown pass with only nine seconds left. The 49ers then lost a close game to the New York Giants in the NFC Championship.

In 2012, Smith signed a new three-year contract with the 49ers. He started the season strong, leading the team to a 6–2–1 record. However, he suffered a concussion in Week 10. His backup, Colin Kaepernick, played very well in his place. The coach decided to keep Kaepernick as the starter. Smith was medically cleared to play, but he did not get his starting job back.

Kansas City Chiefs

On February 27, 2013, the 49ers traded Smith to the Kansas City Chiefs. Chiefs head coach Andy Reid named Smith the starting quarterback. Smith quickly showed his high "football IQ" and accurate passing.

In 2013, Smith led the Chiefs to a great start, winning their first nine games. He was chosen for his first Pro Bowl at the end of the season. In the Pro Bowl game, Smith led the winning touchdown drive.

Smith continued to lead the Chiefs in the following seasons. In 2015, he helped them become the first team ever to start a season 1–5 and still win a playoff game. They beat the Houston Texans 30–0 in the Wild Card Round. Smith also had a career-high 498 rushing yards that season.

In 2016, Smith led a huge comeback win over the San Diego Chargers. The Chiefs were down 24–3 in the third quarter but won 33–27 in overtime. In 2017, Smith had his best season statistically. He threw for a career-high 4,042 passing yards and 26 touchdowns. He also led the league with a 104.7 passer rating. He was named to the Pro Bowl again. Smith also played a big role in helping Patrick Mahomes develop into a star quarterback.

Washington Redskins / Football Team

On January 30, 2018, Smith was traded to the Washington Redskins. He signed a four-year contract extension with them. In his first game with Washington, Smith threw for 255 yards and two touchdowns. He helped lead the team to a 6–3 record through the first nine games.

Leg Injury and Amazing Comeback

On November 18, 2018, during a game against the Houston Texans, Smith suffered a terrible leg injury. He broke two bones in his right leg. The injury was similar to one suffered by former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann 33 years earlier.

After his first surgery, Smith developed a life-threatening infection. This led to sepsis, a very serious condition. He had to have 17 surgeries over nine months. Doctors even thought they might have to amputate his leg. But they were able to save it with skin grafts and muscle transfers. Smith wore a special device on his leg for almost a year to help it heal.

Smith missed the entire 2019 season while recovering. Many people believed he would never play football again. But Smith was determined to return. An ESPN documentary called Project 11 showed his incredible recovery journey in May 2020.

In July 2020, Smith was cleared by his doctors to play football again. He made his first game appearance since the injury in Week 5 of the 2020 season. He entered the game after another quarterback was injured. Later in the season, Smith became Washington's starting quarterback. He led the team to a 5–1 record in his starts. This helped Washington win the NFC East division title.

After the season, Smith was named the NFL Comeback Player of the Year. This award recognized his incredible return to football after such a severe injury. Smith retired from the NFL on April 19, 2021. In June 2021, he received the George Halas Award. This award is given to a player who overcomes a major obstacle.

Broadcasting Career

In August 2021, Smith joined ESPN. He now works as an NFL analyst for shows like SportsCenter and Monday Night Countdown.

NFL Career Statistics

Regular Season

Year	Team	Games			Passing								Rushing				Sacks		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2005	SF	9	7	2–5	84	165	50.9	875	5.3	1	11	40.8	30	103	3.4	0	29	185	11	3
2006	SF	16	16	7–9	257	442	58.1	2,890	6.5	16	16	74.8	44	147	3.3	2	35	202	10	5
2007	SF	7	7	2–5	94	193	48.7	914	4.7	2	4	57.2	13	89	6.8	0	17	121	6	5
2008	SF	0	0	Did not play due to injury
2009	SF	11	10	5–5	225	372	60.5	2,350	6.3	18	12	81.5	24	51	2.2	0	22	134	3	1
2010	SF	11	10	3–7	204	342	59.6	2,370	6.9	14	10	82.1	18	60	3.3	0	25	140	4	2
2011	SF	16	16	13–3	273	445	61.3	3,144	7.1	17	5	90.7	52	179	3.4	2	44	263	7	2
2012	SF	10	9	6–2–1	153	218	70.2	1,737	8.0	13	5	104.1	31	132	4.3	0	24	137	4	1
2013	KC	15	15	11–4	308	508	60.6	3,313	6.5	23	7	89.1	76	431	5.1	1	39	210	7	3
2014	KC	15	15	8–7	303	464	65.3	3,265	7.0	18	6	93.4	49	254	5.2	1	45	229	4	1
2015	KC	16	16	11–5	307	470	65.3	3,486	7.4	20	7	95.4	84	498	5.9	2	45	235	4	0
2016	KC	15	15	11–4	328	489	67.1	3,502	7.2	15	8	91.2	48	134	3.2	5	28	140	7	4
2017	KC	15	15	9–6	341	505	67.5	4,042	8.0	26	5	104.7	60	355	5.9	1	35	207	2	1
2018	WAS	10	10	6–4	205	328	62.5	2,180	6.6	10	5	85.7	41	168	4.1	1	22	121	6	1
2019	WAS	0	0	Did not play due to injury
2020	WAS	8	6	5–1	167	252	66.7	1,582	6.3	6	8	78.5	10	3	0.3	0	22	139	1	0
Career		174	167	99–67–1	3,250	5,193	62.6	35,650	6.9	199	109	86.9	580	2,604	4.5	15	432	2,463	76	29

Postseason

Year	Team	Games			Passing								Rushing				Sacks		Fumbles
Year	Team	GP	GS	Record	Cmp	Att	Pct	Yds	Avg	TD	Int	Rtg	Att	Yds	Avg	TD	Sck	SckY	Fum	Lost
2011	SF	2	2	1–1	36	68	52.9	495	7.3	5	0	101.0	7	70	10.0	1	7	53	2	1
2012	SF	0	0	DNP
2013	KC	1	1	0–1	30	46	65.2	378	8.2	4	0	119.7	8	57	7.1	0	2	15	1	1
2015	KC	2	2	1–1	46	72	63.9	436	6.1	2	1	84.0	14	71	5.1	0	4	20	0	0
2016	KC	1	1	0–1	20	34	58.8	172	5.1	1	1	69.7	2	9	4.5	0	1	6	0	0
2017	KC	1	1	0–1	24	33	72.7	264	8.0	2	0	116.2	4	13	3.2	0	4	8	0	0
2020	WAS	0	0	Did not play due to injury
Career		7	7	2–5	156	253	61.7	1,745	6.9	14	2	97.4	35	220	6.3	1	18	102	3	2

Personal Life and Charity Work

Smith married Elizabeth Barry, a former Oakland Raiders cheerleader, in 2009. They have two sons and a daughter.

Smith has a brother and two sisters. His great-grandfather was from Serbia. To honor him, Alex, his brother, and his father all have tattoos of the traditional Serbian cross. Smith's uncle, John L. Smith, was a college football head coach. His cousin, Chris Shelton, played Major League Baseball.

In 2007, Smith started the Alex Smith Foundation. This foundation includes the Alex Smith Guardian Scholars Program. It helps foster teens go to college. Smith started the program with $500,000 of his own money. He continues to pay for most of the charity's costs. The charity has been praised for using most of its money for scholarships and grants.

In 2014, the University of Utah gave Smith an honorary degree. He also gave the commencement speech to the graduating class.

In 2021, Smith launched a clothing collection called Just Live. All the money from this collection goes to the Center for the Intrepid. This is where he did most of his rehabilitation after his leg injury.