 Smith with theCalgary Stampeders in 2007 | |||||||||||||||
| No. 11, 17 | |||||||||||||||
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| Position: | Quarterback | ||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
| Born: | (1975-08-21)August 21, 1975 (age 49) San Diego, California, U.S. | ||||||||||||||
| Height: | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | ||||||||||||||
| Weight: | 220 lb (100 kg) | ||||||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||||||
| High school: | Lincoln (San Diego, California) | ||||||||||||||
| College: | Oregon | ||||||||||||||
| NFL draft: | 1999: 1st round, 3rd pick | ||||||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||||||
| * Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||||||
| Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||||||
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Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (born August 21, 1975) is an American former professionalfootball player who was aquarterback in theNational Football League (NFL). He was selected by theCincinnati Bengals in the first round (third overall) of the1999 NFL draft, the third quarterback in the first three choices, behindTim Couch (Cleveland Browns) andDonovan McNabb (Philadelphia Eagles). He playedcollege football for theOregon Ducks.
Smith was also a member of theGreen Bay Packers,Tampa Bay Buccaneers,Frankfurt Galaxy, andCalgary Stampeders.
Given the name Kabisa Akili Maradufu Smith (inSwahili, "kabisa" means "completely", "akili" means "mind", and "maradufu" means "double" or "a Gemini twin") by his parents Glorida Bryant and Ray Smith,[1] Akili Smith was born inSan Diego, California. Smith attendedAbraham Lincoln High School in San Diego, the alma mater ofMarcus Allen andTerrell Davis.[2]
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 attendGrossmont College, ajunior college in theSan Diego area for two years,[1] prior to transferring to theUniversity of Oregon.
Smith came to the foreground of draft discussions because of his performance in his senior season atOregon, throwing 32touchdown 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.
| Season | Passing | Rushing | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Yds | Pct | TD | Int | Att | Yds | TD | ||
| 1997 | 108 | 200 | 1,385 | 54.0 | 13 | 7 | 89 | 183 | 2 | |
| 1998 | 215 | 371 | 3,763 | 58.0 | 32 | 8 | 82 | 184 | 4 | |
| Total | 323 | 571 | 5,148 | 56.6 | 45 | 15 | 171 | 367 | 6 | |
| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Wonderlic | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 ft2+3⁄4 in (1.90 m) | 227 lb (103 kg) | 32+1⁄4 in (0.82 m) | 9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) | 4.72 s | 1.63 s | 2.73 s | 4.29 s | 6.99 s | 34 in (0.86 m) | 9 ft 6 in (2.90 m) | 26 | |
| All values fromNFL combine[3][4] | ||||||||||||
In the1999 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 theCincinnati Bengals. Smith scored a 16 out of 50 on the NFL-administeredWonderlic test when he first took the exam in 1998. His agentLeigh Steinberg hired a tutor to help improve his score for the 1999 scouting combine, and he scored a 37 on the second try.[1]
Prior to the draft, there was an effort byNew Orleans Saints'head coachMike Ditka and management to get the Cincinnati Bengals' high draft position so the Saints could getRicky 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,[5] who, while athletic (he had also played two years of minor-league baseball and ran a 4.6640-yard dash[6]), was still largely unproven, having only succeeded at the college level for one season.
Smith missed a large portion oftraining camp during his rookie season in1999 due to contract disputes. On August 24, 1999, he signed a seven-year contract worth up to $56 million with a $10.8 millionsigning bonus.[7]
Despite showing athleticism in his early games, he failed to grasp the Bengals playbook fully and never established himself with the team. Hisoffensive 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.[8] 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.
In2003, Smith tried out for theGreen Bay Packers, asBrett Favre's backup. He was, however, unsuccessful there and was later released.[9] In 2005, he was released by theTampa Bay Buccaneers after a stint inNFL Europe where he started four games for theFrankfurt Galaxy.
On April 28,2007, Smith signed a two-year contract with theCalgary Stampeders of theCanadian Football League, where he was expected to compete for the starting quarterback position with another former NFL player,Henry Burris.[10] After an unimpressive debut in anexhibition game against theEdmonton Eskimos, Smith played well in the final exhibition against theSaskatchewan Roughriders. Though listed going into the game as the third-stringquarterback, he completed threetouchdown passes in only one half of play, including one to formerKansas City Chiefswide receiverMarc Boerigter.
| Year | Team | GP | Passing | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cmp | Att | Pct | Yds | Avg | Lng | TD | Int | Rtg | Fum | |||
| 1999 | CIN | 7 | 80 | 153 | 52.3 | 805 | 5.3 | 39 | 2 | 6 | 55.6 | 2 |
| 2000 | CIN | 12 | 118 | 267 | 44.2 | 1,253 | 4.7 | 46 | 3 | 6 | 52.9 | 10 |
| 2001 | CIN | 2 | 5 | 8 | 62.5 | 37 | 4.6 | 14 | 0 | 0 | 73.4 | 0 |
| 2002 | CIN | 1 | 12 | 33 | 36.4 | 117 | 3.6 | 24 | 0 | 1 | 34.5 | 1 |
| Career[11] | 22 | 215 | 461 | 46.6 | 2,212 | 4.8 | 46 | 5 | 13 | 52.8 | 13 | |
After retiring from football, Smith was the quarterbacks coach forGrossmont College.[8] Smith was adeacon at aMissionary Baptist church and played football for "God's House", aflag football team.[12]
In March 2010, Smith joined theUniversity of California's football staff as a graduate assistant to work with the offense. Cal head coachJeff Tedford previously coached Smith at Oregon when he was offensive coordinator.[13]
In 2012, Smith took over as quarterbacks coach forSt. Augustine High School inSan Diego.[14] Smith planned to finish the college degree that he started at the University of Oregon.[15] As of September 2014, Smith was coaching football forThe Bishop's School inLa Jolla,California, and was still 16 credits away from graduating from Oregon.[16]
In June 2020, Smith was hired onto the coaching staff atMaranatha High School in Pasadena, California.[17]
 | This article needs to beupdated. Please help update this article to reflect recent events or newly available information.(April 2021) |
Smith's son, Akili Smith Jr., is a top quarterback recruit in the 2025 recruiting class and is committed to play at Oregon.[18]