Rusty_Smith_(football_player)

Rusty Smith (American football)

Rusty Smith (American football)

American football player and coach (born 1987)

Russell Edgar Smith (born January 28, 1987) is an American former football quarterback who played in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Florida Atlantic Owls and was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round of the 2010 NFL draft.

Quick Facts No. 11, Position: ...

Smith played for the Titans for four seasons as a backup, and only started one game. He then had a brief offseason stint with the New York Giants in 2014. After his playing career ended, he began a career as a high school football coach.

College career

As a sophomore at Florida Atlantic, Smith passed for 32 touchdowns and nine interceptions. In his four-year career, he started in 45 games for the Owls.[1] He graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Management of Information Systems. [2]

College statistics

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Professional career

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Tennessee Titans

Smith was selected by the Tennessee Titans in the sixth round (176th overall) of the 2010 NFL Draft.[4] He was the first ever player from FAU to be drafted.[5] He was signed to a four-year contract on June 17, 2010.[6]

Smith made his NFL debut on November 21, 2010 against the Washington Redskins after starter Vince Young left the game with an injured throwing hand, completing 3-of-9 passes for 62 yards and one interception. Titans head coach Jeff Fisher later declared that Smith would become the team's starting quarterback due to Young's season-ending thumb surgery and Kerry Collins' calf injury.[7] His first start was in a 20-0 shutout loss to the Houston Texans. Smith had 17 completions in 31 passes for 138 yards and was intercepted three times, all by CB Glover Quin.

Smith did not have one snap during the 2011 regular season.

In 2012, he stepped in for Matt Hasselbeck and went 3-of-5 for 34 yards. He was waived/injured by the Titans on August 31, 2013. He was re-signed the next day, and put on the team's practice squad.[8]

New York Giants

On Monday April 28, 2014 the New York Giants signed Smith.[9] Smith was released on May 12, 2014.[10]

NFL career statistics

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Coaching career

In March 2015, Smith was announced as the new head football coach at the Grace Christian Academy in Franklin, Tennessee, having previously worked two years as the program's quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator.[12] He parted ways with GCA in February 2022 after eight seasons, having compiled a 21-49 record over seven seasons as head coach and leading the GCA Lions to all three of the team's playoff appearances in 2017 (1A), 2020 and 2021 (both DII-A).[13]

Missionary career

After parting ways with GCA, Smith and his family began a two year commitment in Kijabe, Kenya as part of Africa Inland Mission in 2023. He is a teacher at Rift Valley Academy, a Christian boarding school operated by AIM.[14][15]

Personal life

Smith's wife, Nicole, is the former head volleyball coach and strength and conditioning coach at Grace Christian Academy. They have four sons, Rustyn, Camdyn, Koltyn and Eastyn.[15]

References

  1. [1]
    Kiper Jr., Mel (November 26, 2010). "Rusty Smith and the no-name rookies". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  2. [2]
    "Bio – Rusty Smith – Grace Christian Academy".
  3. [3]
    "Rusty Smith, DS #23 QB, Florida Atlantic". nfldraftscout.com. Retrieved November 26, 2010.
  4. [4]
    "2010 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved May 13, 2023.
  5. [5]
    "Rusty Smith becomes first FAU player ever drafted - Sun Sentinel". Articles.sun-sentinel.com. April 24, 2010. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  6. [6]
    "Titans Agree to terms with Draft Pick Smith". titansonline.com. June 17, 2010. Archived from the original on June 21, 2010. Retrieved June 17, 2010.
  7. [7]
    "Titans now have to rely on rookie quarterback | tennessean.com". The Tennessean. Retrieved November 23, 2010.
  8. [8]
    "Report: Rusty Smith will join practice squad". espn.com. September 1, 2013. Retrieved March 19, 2023.
  9. [9]
    "New York Giants Sign QB Rusty Smith". Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved April 28, 2014.
  10. [10]
    "Giants release QB Smith, LB Bradford, CB Mertile and P Jordan Gay". Archived from the original on May 13, 2014. Retrieved May 12, 2014.
  11. [11]
    "Rusty Smith". pro-football-reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved September 10, 2016.
  12. [12]
    Sam Brown (March 9, 2015). "Former Titans QB to coach Grace Christian Academy". The Tennessean. Retrieved February 11, 2018.
  13. [13]
    Donovan Stewarts (February 14, 2022). "Grace Christian Academy in Franklin searching for new football coach". mainstreetmediatn.com. Retrieved March 18, 2023.
  14. [14]
    David Dawson (November 11, 2022). "Former Titans QB heeds missions call, moving to Kenya". TheBaptistPaper.com. Retrieved December 3, 2023.
  15. [15]
    David Dawson (November 11, 2022). "Game Plan Changes". baptistandreflector.org. Retrieved December 16, 2023.
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