Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 2010
- Class:
- 2005
Brad Smith became the first big star of the Gary Pinkel era and was the face of Tiger football for four years as a starting quarterback when he and his teammates began a resurgence of the program. He redshirted in 2001, then started every game the next four seasons. He was the Big 12 Conference Offensive Freshman of the Year in 2002. He shattered the record books during his four-year career and he left Mizzou holding 69 school, Big 12 and NCAA records that spanned game, season and career categories. He became the first player in NCAA Div. 1A history to throw for 8,000 yards and rush for 4,000 yards in a career, and he broke the NCAA record for most career rushing yards by a quarterback. He led Mizzou to its first win since 1978 against Nebraska, a 41-24 win in Columbia in 2003. He also beat the Huskers in 2005 and led the Tigers to the largest comeback win in school history in the 2005 Independence Bowl, when the Tigers rallied from a 21-point deficit to beat South Carolina, 38-31. Smith received votes for the Heisman Trophy in 2003 and 2005. He was also an outstanding student, who was a finalist for the Draddy Award (known as the Academic Heisman) and was named a National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete, winning an $18,000 post-graduate scholarship. He was drafted by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2006 NFL Draft, and played with them through 2010, proving to be a most versatile performer as a receiver, quarterback and kick returner. He returned a kickoff 107 yards for a touchdown in a 2010 playoff game for the Jets, which was the longest in franchise history. He went on to play with the Buffalo Bills (2011-2013) and Philadelphia Eagles (2013-2014). For his career he caught 104 passes for 987 yards, had 2,879 return yards and scored 14 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame in 2017.
