28 Facts About Bruce Smith

Bruce Bernard Smith was born on June 18,1963 and is an American former professional football player who was a defensive end in the National Football League for 19 seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills.

Bruce Smith played college football at Virginia Tech, where he was a twice All-American, and was selected first overall by the Bills in the 1985 NFL Draft.

Bruce Smith received 11 Pro Bowl selections and eight first-team All-Pro honors, while appearing in four consecutive Super Bowls with the Bills.

Bruce Smith was inducted to the College Football Hall of Fame in 2006 and the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2009.

Bruce Smith had 46 career sacks, including an NCAA-leading 22 during a junior season in 1983 that saw him named First-team All-America by the AFCA and Newspaper Enterprise Association.

In 1984, Bruce Smith capped off his tenure in Blacksburg with the Outland Trophy, given to the nation's top lineman, and a consensus selection to the All-America Team.

Bruce Smith quickly became known as a sack specialist, with fifteen in 1986.

Bruce Smith had his first Pro Bowl and All-Pro selection the following year while having twelve sacks in twelve games.

Bruce Smith continued his run in 1988 with eleven sacks in twelve games.

In March 1989, as a restricted free agent, Bruce Smith signed an offer-sheet with the Denver Broncos for $7.5 million over five years.

Now, as the highest-paid defensive player in the league, Bruce Smith would stay with the Bills for a considerable amount of time.

Bruce Smith responded by playing in all sixteen games of the season and recording thirteen sacks to make his third straight Pro Bowl.

Bruce Smith broke the record for sacks by a Bill all-time during the year, and he would continue to raise the total for years to come.

Bruce Smith did not have a sack in either of the first two playoff games for the Bills, but Smith saved his efforts for Super Bowl XXV against the New York Giants.

Bruce Smith sacked Jeff Hostetler in the end zone in the second quarter, becoming only the fifth player to record a Super Bowl safety.

Later, Bruce Smith forced New York to turn the ball over on downs by tackling running back Ottis Anderson for a two-yard loss on a fourth-down conversion attempt.

In 1992, in much better health, Bruce Smith was again a first-team All-Pro and was voted to the Pro Bowl while recording a team-leading fourteen sacks, and he repeated his sack total the following year.

Bruce Smith led the league in forced fumbles twice with five.

In 1997, Bruce Smith had 65 tackles and fourteen sacks and by 1998, although he was getting older, he still had a respectable fifty tackles and ten sacks.

Bruce Smith signed with the Washington Redskins as a free agent.

Bruce Smith finished his career with 200 career sacks, the only person ever to reach that mark.

Bruce Smith had hinted in interviews that 2003 would be his final season, but never completely ruled out continuing to play.

However, on February 24,2004, the Redskins released Bruce Smith, saving $6.5 million in salary cap space.

Bruce Smith was a first-ballot inductee to the NFL Hall of Fame.

Bruce Smith was named to an All-Pro team ten times.

Indeed, Bruce Smith's peers elected him to the Pro Bowl every season from 1987 to 1998.

Bruce Smith was twice named the AP's NFL Defensive Player of the Year, twice the NEA's and four times the UPI's AFC Defensive Player of the Year.

Bruce Smith built a Hilton Garden Inn Hotel with 137 sleeping rooms and is working on redeveloping the site.