No. 26 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born: | Carrollton, Mississippi, U.S. | July 14, 1911||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Died: | August 9, 1999 Mobile, Alabama, U.S. | (aged 88)||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
As a coach: | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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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]