Musa Smith
refer to caption
Smith with the Baltimore Ravens in 2006
No. 32
Position:Running back
Personal information
Born: (1982-05-31) May 31, 1982
Perry County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Height:6 ft 0 in (1.83 m)
Weight:232 lb (105 kg)
Career information
High school:Elliottsburg (PA) West Perry
College:Georgia
NFL Draft:2003 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77
Career history
 * Offseason and/or practice squad member only
Career NFL statistics
Rushing yards:496
Rushing average:3.8
Receptions:54
Receiving yards:363
Total touchdowns:4
Player stats at NFL.com

Musa Smith (/ˈmuːsə/; born May 31, 1982) is a former American football running back who played five seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Smith has also been a member of the New York Jets. He played college football at Georgia.

Early life and education

Smith attended West Perry High School in Perry County, Pennsylvania, where he was a USA Today honorable mention "All-USA" selection in football.

College career

At the University of Georgia, Smith rushed for 2,202 yards and 19 touchdowns on 454 carries (4.9 yards per carry) during his three-year career at Georgia. This included a spectacular junior campaign in 2002, when he rushed for 1,324 yards and eight touchdowns on 261 carries (5.1 yards per carry), becoming the first Georgia running back to pass 1,000-yards in a season since Garrison Hearst in 1992.[1]

Smith played a starring role in Georgia's 2003 Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State on January 1, 2003, carrying the ball 23 times for 145 yards in Georgia's 26-13 win.

Professional career

Pre-draft

Pre-draft measurables
HeightWeightArm lengthHand span40-yard dashVertical jumpBroad jump
6 ft 1 in
(1.85 m)		 232 lb
(105 kg)		 317⁄8 8 in
(0.20 m)		4.58 s35+1⁄210 ft 3 in
(3.12 m)
40-yard dash was taken at Georgia's Pro Day; other results are from the NFL Scouting Combine.[2]

Baltimore Ravens

Smith being tackled by Domata Peko of the Cincinnati Bengals in 2006

Smith was drafted with the 13th pick of the third round (77th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft.[3] He played sparingly for much of 2003 and 2004.

During a Week 11 game with the Dallas Cowboys in 2004, Smith was horse-collar tackled from behind by safety Roy Williams. Smith's right leg was trapped under the weight of his body, resulting in a severe compound fracture of his right tibia. The injury basically put Smith out of action for two seasons (he played only one game in 2005) and led to the NFL banning the tackle in May 2005.

In the 2006 Ravens training camp, Smith outplayed Mike Anderson in the battle for the backup running back job behind Jamal Lewis. In three preseason games in 2006, Smith was tied for the NFL lead with LaMont Jordan with 123 rushing yards on 13 carries (7.9 yards per carry).

In total, Smith has rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries (4.2 yards per carry) in 34 regular season appearances with the Baltimore Ravens, he has also caught 28 passes for 180 yards as of the end of the 2006 season.

He was the backup to Willis McGahee and had an increased role in the 2007 season as in past years he mainly played on special teams. Smith had 264 rushing yards and two touchdowns that year.

Through his stay with the Ravens, Smith collected 132 rushes for 496 yards, and four touchdowns on a 3.8 yard average. He also had 54 catches for 363 yards, on a 6.7 yard receiving average.

New York Jets

On May 27, 2008, Smith was signed by the New York Jets.[4] He was later released on August 26 prior to the regular season.

Personal life

Smith is a Muslim.[5] His name translates to Moses in Arabic. He has a brother, Taalib, who is a personal trainer at the Big Vanilla Health Club in Arnold, Maryland.[6] Smith has three children.

Smith's father, Kelvin Smith, ran training camps for Boy Scouts, law officers from the family farm in New Bloomfield, Pennsylvania, and as an agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 1999, he was convicted on charges related to the 1993 World Trade Center bombing.[7][8]

References

  1. ↑ Newberry, Paul (January 8, 2003). "Georgia RB Musa Smith Going Pro". Beaumont Enterprise. Associated Press. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  2. ↑ "Archived copy". nfl.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2003. Retrieved January 15, 2022.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ "2003 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 28, 2023.
  4. ↑ http://www.newyorkjets.com/news/articles/show/2210-musa-smith-joins-backfield Archived May 30, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
  5. ↑ Schlabach, Mark (2003). Destiny's Dogs: Georgia's Championship Season. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. p. 112. ISBN 978-1582616919.
  6. ↑ "Taalib Smith, Personal Trainer". Big Vanilla. January 1, 2011.
  7. ↑ Newberry, Paul (September 11, 2002). "Musa Smith: Georgia RB suffers as father's dark secret is revealed". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Associated Press. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
  8. ↑ Cyphers, Luke; Feldman, Bruce (September 3, 2002). "The Good Son". ESPN The Magazine. Retrieved March 5, 2011.
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