View source for Akili Smith

{{Short description|American gridiron football player (born 1975)}}
{{distinguish|Akili Smith Jr.}}
{{Use American English|date=April 2024}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2019}}
{{Infobox NFL biography
| name          = Akili Smith
| image         = Akili Smith.jpg
| alt           =
| caption       = Smith with the [[Calgary Stampeders]] in 2007
| number        = 11, 17
| position      = [[Quarterback]]
| birth_date    = {{Birth date and age|1975|8|21}}
| birth_place   = [[San Diego|San Diego, California]], U.S.
| height_ft     = 6
| height_in     = 3
| weight_lbs    = 220
| high_school   = [[Lincoln High School (San Diego, California)|Lincoln]] (San Diego, California)
| college       = {{ubl|[[Grossmont College|Grossmont]] (1995–1996)|[[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon]] (1997–1998)}}
| draftyear     = 1999
| draftround    = 1
| draftpick     = 3
| pastteams     = * [[Cincinnati Bengals]] ({{NFL Year|1999}}–{{NFL Year|2002}})
* [[Green Bay Packers]] ({{NFL Year|2003}})*
* [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] ({{NFL Year|2005}})*
* [[Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe)|Frankfurt Galaxy]] ({{FRA season|2005}})
* [[Calgary Stampeders]] ({{CFL Year|2007}})
| highlights    = * [[Pac-12 Conference football individual awards|Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year]] (1998)
* First-team [[List of All-Pac-12 Conference football teams|All-Pac-10]] ([[1998 All-Pacific-10 Conference football team|1998]])
| statlabel1    = Passing attempts
| statvalue1    = 461
| statlabel2    = Passing completions
| statvalue2    = 215
| statlabel3    = Completion percentage
| statvalue3    = 46.6%
| statlabel4    = [[Touchdown|TD]]–[[Interception|INT]]
| statvalue4    = 5–13
| statlabel5    = Passing yards
| statvalue5    = 2,212
| statlabel6    = [[Passer rating]]
| statvalue6    = 52.8
| pfr           = SmitAk00
| cflstatlabel1 = 
| cflstatlabel2 = 
| cflstatlabel5 = \ 
}}
'''Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith''' (born August 21, 1975) is an American former professional [[American football|football]] player who was a [[quarterback]] in the [[National Football League]] (NFL). He was selected by the [[Cincinnati Bengals]] in the first round (third overall) of the [[1999 NFL draft]], the third quarterback in the first three choices, behind [[Tim Couch]] ([[Cleveland Browns]]) and [[Donovan McNabb]] ([[Philadelphia Eagles]]). He played [[college football]] for the [[Oregon Ducks football|Oregon Ducks]].

Smith was also a member of the [[Green Bay Packers]], [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]], [[Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe)|Frankfurt Galaxy]], and [[Calgary Stampeders]].

==Early life and college==
Given the name Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (in [[Swahili language|Swahili]], "kabisa" means "completely", "akili" means "mind", and "maradufu" means "double" or "a Gemini twin") by his parents Glorida Bryant and Ray Smith,<ref name="Gemini">{{cite news |author=Hobson, Geoff |title=Like father, like Akili |url=http://bengals.enquirer.com/1999/04/25/ben_like_father_like.html |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |date=April 25, 1999 |access-date=2017-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404043525/http://bengals.enquirer.com/1999/04/25/ben_like_father_like.html |archive-date=April 4, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> Akili Smith was born in [[San Diego|San Diego, California]]. Smith attended [[Lincoln High School (San Diego, California)|Abraham Lincoln High School in San Diego]], the alma mater of [[Marcus Allen]] and [[Terrell Davis]].<ref name="lhh001">{{cite web|url=http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/multimedia/utmedia/070902lincoln/index.html |title=Special Feature on Lincoln High School's History |publisher=San Diego Union-Tribune |access-date=2007-09-28 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090303145027/http://weblog.signonsandiego.com/multimedia/utmedia/070902lincoln/index.html |archive-date=March 3, 2009 }}</ref>

Smith was named a Parade Magazine All-American and signed a letter of intent to play at San Diego State, but low test scores meant he had to attend [[Grossmont College]], a [[junior college]] in the [[San Diego]] area for two years,<ref name="Gemini"/> prior to transferring to the [[University of Oregon]].

Smith came to the foreground of draft discussions because of his performance in his senior season at [[University of Oregon|Oregon]], throwing 32 [[touchdown]] passes in 11 starts. He led the conference in passing yards and the entire NCAA in passing yards per attempt.  Smith was named second-team All-American and Pac-10 conference offensive player of the year.

===College statistics===
{| class=wikitable style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Season
! colspan="6"| Passing
! colspan="4"| Rushing
|-
! Cmp !! Att !! Yds !! Pct !! TD !! Int !! Att !! Yds !! TD
|-
! [[1997 Oregon Ducks football team|1997]]
| 108 || 200 || 1,385 || 54.0 || 13 || 7 || 89 || 183 || 2
|-
! [[1998 Oregon Ducks football team|1998]]
| 215 || 371 || 3,763 || 58.0 || 32 || 8 || 82 || 184 || 4
|-
! [https://www.sports-reference.com/cfb/players/akili-smith-1.html Total] !! 323 !! 571 !! 5,148 !! 56.6 !! 45 !! 15 !! 171 !! 367 !! 6
|}

==Professional career==

{{NFL predraft
|    height ft = 6
|    height in = 2 3/4
|       weight = 227
|         dash = 4.72
|    ten split = 1.63
| twenty split = 2.73
|      shuttle = 4.29
|   cone drill = 6.99
|     vertical = 34
|     broad ft = 9
|     broad in = 6
|        bench =
|    wonderlic = 26
|     arm span = 32 1/4
|    hand span = 9 3/4
|         note = All values from [[NFL Combine]]<ref>{{cite web |title=Akili Smith, DS #4 QB, Oregon |url=http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=2603&draftyear=1999&genpos=QB |website=nfldraftscout.com |access-date=2017-04-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170403112258/http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=2603&draftyear=1999&genpos=QB |archive-date=3 April 2017 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://nflcombineresults.com/playerpage.php?i=5135 |title=Akili Smith, Combine Results, QB - Oregon |website=nflcombineresults.com |access-date=March 30, 2022}}</ref>
}}

===Cincinnati Bengals===
In the [[1999 NFL draft]], a year in which five quarterbacks were drafted in the first round, Smith was the third quarterback and third player selected overall, by the [[Cincinnati Bengals]]. Smith scored a 16 out of 50 on the NFL-administered [[Wonderlic test]] when he first took the exam in 1998. His agent [[Leigh Steinberg]] hired a tutor to help improve his score for the 1999 scouting combine, and he scored a 37 on the second try.<ref name="Gemini"/>

Prior to the draft, there was an effort by [[New Orleans Saints]]' [[head coach]] [[Mike Ditka]] and management to get the Cincinnati Bengals' high draft position so the Saints could get [[Ricky Williams]]. The final offer, which was refused by Bengals management, was for nine draft picks, several extra in that year as well as many the next year. Instead of taking the trade, the Bengals stayed with their initial decision to draft Smith,<ref>{{Cite web |title=1999 NFL Draft Listing |url=https://www.pro-football-reference.com/years/1999/draft.htm |access-date=2023-03-28 |website=Pro-Football-Reference.com |language=en}}</ref> who, while athletic (he had also played two years of minor-league baseball and ran a 4.66 [[40-yard dash]]<ref name="Draft scout">{{cite web|url=http://www.nfldraftscout.com/ratings/dsprofile.php?pyid=61119&draftyear=1999&genpos=QB|title=Akili Smith, DS #4 QB, Oregon|work=NFLDraftScout.com|access-date=2009-01-16}}</ref>), was still largely unproven, having only succeeded at the college level for one season.

Smith missed a large portion of [[National Football League training camp|training camp]] during his rookie season in [[1999 NFL season|1999]] due to contract disputes. On August 24, 1999, he signed a seven-year contract worth up to $56 million with a $10.8 million [[signing bonus]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Sullivan, Tim |title=Big payday could be Akili's heel |url=http://enquirer.com/editions/1999/08/25/spt_big_payday_could_be.html |newspaper=[[The Cincinnati Enquirer]] |date=August 25, 1999 |access-date=2017-04-02}}</ref>

Despite showing athleticism in his early games, he failed to grasp the Bengals playbook fully and never established himself with the team. His [[offensive coordinator]] from 2001 to 2002, [[Bob Bratkowski]], said Smith "wasn't as diligent as he should have been" regarding his film and playbook study habits.<ref name="hindsight">{{cite news |author=Sullivan, Tim |title=A decade of hindsight guides former NFL QB Akili Smith |url=http://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/sdut-chargers-sullivan-akili-smith205216-2009apr25-story.html |newspaper=[[The San Diego Union-Tribune]] |date=April 25, 2009 |access-date=2017-04-02}}</ref>  During the four years he was with the Bengals, he started in only 17 games and threw just five touchdown passes and 13 interceptions, eventually leading to his release on May 31, 2003, after riding the bench mostly during the previous two years.

===Later career===
In [[2003 NFL season|2003]], Smith tried out for the [[Green Bay Packers]], as [[Brett Favre]]'s backup. He was, however, unsuccessful there and was later released.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=1603429|title=Tight end Tyrone Davis also released|work=[[ESPN.com]]|publisher=[[ESPN]]|date=August 26, 2003}}</ref> In 2005, he was released by the [[Tampa Bay Buccaneers]] after a stint in [[NFL Europa|NFL Europe]] where he started four games for the [[Frankfurt Galaxy (NFL Europe)|Frankfurt Galaxy]].

On April 28, [[2007 CFL season|2007]], Smith signed a two-year contract with the [[Calgary Stampeders]] of the [[Canadian Football League]], where he was expected to compete for the starting quarterback position with another former NFL player, [[Henry Burris]].<ref>{{cite news |author=Pasquarelli, Len |title=Smith, out of NFL for two years, signs in CFL |url=http://www.espn.com/nfl/news/story?id=2852141 |website=ESPN.com |date=April 28, 2007 |access-date=2017-04-02}}</ref> After an unimpressive debut in an [[exhibition game]] against the [[Edmonton Eskimos]], Smith played well in the final exhibition against the [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]]. Though listed going into the game as the third-string [[quarterback]], he completed three [[touchdown]] passes in only one half of play, including one to former [[Kansas City Chiefs]] [[wide receiver]] [[Marc Boerigter]].

==NFL career statistics==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|-
! rowspan="2"| Year
! rowspan="2"| Team
! rowspan="2"| GP
! colspan="10"| Passing
|-
! Cmp !! Att !! Pct !! Yds !! Avg !! Lng !! TD !! Int !! Rtg !! Fum
|-
! [[1999 NFL season|1999]] !! [[1999 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| 7 || 80 || 153 || 52.3 || 805 || 5.3 || 39 || 2 || 6 || 55.6 || 2
|-
! [[2000 NFL season|2000]] !! [[2000 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| 12 || 118 || 267 || 44.2 || 1,253 || 4.7 || 46 || 3 || 6 || 52.9 || 10
|-
! [[2001 NFL season|2001]] !! [[2001 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| 2 || 5 || 8 || 62.5 || 37 || 4.6 || 14 || 0 || 0 || 73.4 || 0
|-
! [[2002 NFL season|2002]] !! [[2002 Cincinnati Bengals season|CIN]]
| 1 || 12 || 33 || 36.4 || 117 || 3.6 || 24 || 0 || 1 || 34.5 || 1
|-
! colspan="2"| Career<ref name=ESPN>{{cite web|title=Akili Smith Stats|url=https://www.espn.com/nfl/player/stats/_/id/1754/akili-smith|publisher=ESPN Internet Ventures|access-date=May 23, 2014}}</ref> !! 22 !! 215 !! 461 !! 46.6 !! 2,212 !! 4.8 !! 46 !! 5 !! 13 !! 52.8 !! 13
|}

==Post-football career==
After retiring from football, Smith was the quarterbacks coach for [[Grossmont College]].<ref name="hindsight"/> Smith was a [[deacon]] at a [[Missionary Baptist]] church and played football for "God's House", a [[flag football]] team.<ref>''Sports Illustrated'', July 2009, "Where Are They Now?: Akili Smith"</ref>

In March 2010, Smith joined the [[California Golden Bears football|University of California]]'s football staff as a graduate assistant to work with the offense. Cal head coach [[Jeff Tedford]] previously coached Smith at Oregon when he was offensive coordinator.<ref>{{cite news |title=Smith hired to work with offense |url=http://www.espn.com/ncf/news/story?id=4992741 |website=ESPN.com |date=March 13, 2010 |access-date=2017-04-02}}</ref>

In 2012, Smith took over as quarterbacks coach for [[St. Augustine High School (San Diego)|St. Augustine High School]] in [[San Diego]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2012/nov/05/st-augustine-receives-boost-former-nfl-quarterback/?print&page=all|title=St. Augustine receives boost from former NFL quarterback|access-date=2012-11-05}}</ref> Smith planned to finish the college degree that he started at the University of Oregon.<ref>{{cite web | last=Olivieri | first=Anthony | title=Former draft bust Akili Smith has a surprising new path | website=Yahoo! Sports | date=2012-04-12 | url=https://sports.yahoo.com/blogs/nfl-shutdown-corner/former-draft-bust-akili-smith-surprising-path-185754242.html?guccounter=1 | access-date=2025-08-20}}</ref> As of September 2014, Smith was coaching football for [[The Bishop's School (La Jolla)|The Bishop's School]] in [[La Jolla]], [[California]], and was still 16 credits away from graduating from Oregon.<ref>{{cite news |author=Greif, Andrew |title=Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Akili Smith on Marcus Mariota: 'The kid is absolutely flawless' |url=https://www.oregonlive.com/ducks/2014/09/former_oregon_ducks_quarterbac_3.html |website=OregonLive.com |date=September 12, 2014 |access-date=May 25, 2019}}</ref>

In June 2020, Smith was hired onto the coaching staff at [[Maranatha High School]] in Pasadena, California.<ref>{{cite web  | title=Former NFL Quarterback Akili Smith Joins Football Staff at Maranatha High School| website=Pasadena Now | date=June 22, 2020 | url=https://pasadenanow.com/main/former-nfl-quarterback-akili-smith-joins-football-staff-at-maranatha | access-date=2025-08-20}}</ref>

{{update|date=April 2021}}

==Personal life==
Smith's son, [[Akili Smith Jr.]], is a top quarterback recruit in the 2025 recruiting class and is committed to play at Oregon.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.si.com/college/oregon/recruiting/akili-smith-jr-2025-qb-and-duck-legacy-commits-to-oregon-ducks|title=Akili Smith Jr., 2025 QB and Duck Legacy, Commits to Oregon Ducks|first=Max|last=Torres|website=[[SI.com]]|date=July 31, 2023|access-date=August 31, 2024}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist|2}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite news |author=King, Peter |title=A Bone to Pick |url=https://www.si.com/vault/1999/04/19/259618/a-bone-to-pick-only-days-before-they-were-to-make-the-no-1-pick-in-the-nfl-draft-the-reborn-browns-were-torn-between-passers-tim-couch-and-akili-smith |newspaper=Sports Illustrated |date=April 19, 1999 |access-date=May 25, 2019}}

==External links==
* [http://www.footballdb.com/players/akili-smith-smithak01 Akili Smith] at ''The Football Database''
{{Baseballstats |brm=smith-001kab}}

{{Pac-12 Player of the Year}}
{{Oregon Ducks quarterback navbox}}
{{1999 NFL Draft}}
{{Bengals1999DraftPicks}}
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{{Cincinnati Bengals starting quarterback navbox}}
{{Frankfurt Galaxy quarterback navbox}}
{{StampedersQuarterback}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Akili}}
[[Category:1975 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Players of American football from San Diego]]
[[Category:Players of Canadian football from San Diego]]
[[Category:American football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Grossmont Griffins football players]]
[[Category:Oregon Ducks football players]]
[[Category:Cincinnati Bengals players]]
[[Category:Frankfurt Galaxy players]]
[[Category:Canadian football quarterbacks]]
[[Category:Calgary Stampeders players]]
[[Category:African-American baseball players]]
[[Category:Baseball players from San Diego]]
[[Category:Gulf Coast Pirates players]]
[[Category:Erie SeaWolves players]]
[[Category:21st-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:21st-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century American sportsmen]]
[[Category:20th-century African-American sportsmen]]
[[Category:Baseball outfielders]]