Riley Smith (American football)

Riley Smith

No. 26
Position:	Quarterback
Personal information
Born:	(1911-07-14)July 14, 1911 Carrollton, Mississippi, U.S.
Died:	August 9, 1999(1999-08-09) (aged 88) Mobile, Alabama, U.S.
Height:	6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)
Weight:	200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school:	Columbus (Columbus, Mississippi)
College:	Alabama
NFL draft:	1936 / Round: 1 / Pick: 2
Career history
As a player:
Boston/Washington Redskins (1936–1938)
As a coach:
Washington and Lee (1939–1940) Backfield coach Washington and Lee (1941) Head coach
Career highlights and awards
NFL champion (1937) 2× Second-team All-Pro (1936, 1938) National champion (1934) Consensus All-American (1935) Jacobs Blocking Trophy (1935) First-team All-SEC (1935)
Career NFL statistics
Games played: 30 Starts: 27 Carries: 45 Rushing yards: 58 Receptions: 18 Receiving yards: 300 Passing yards: 290 Total touchdowns: 8 Military career Allegiance  United States Service/branch  United States Navy Years of service 1942–1945 Rank Lieutenant Commander Battles/wars World War II
Player stats at PFR
College Football Hall of Fame

Riley Henry Smith (July 14, 1911 – August 9, 1999) was an American football player, a quarterback for the Boston Redskins of the National Football League (NFL) during the mid-1930s. He played college football for the University of Alabama, where he was recognized as a consensus All-American. Drafted in the 1936 NFL Draft, he is known for being the first drafted player to play football in the NFL; Jay Berwanger, the only player drafted before him, never played due to salary disagreements. He was also the starting quarterback in the first ever postseason game in Redskins history in 1936 when they made the NFL Championship Game.

After his NFL career ended, he became a coach.^[1]