| No. 60 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Position | Defensive lineman | ||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||
| Born | (1957-12-20)December 20, 1957 Waterford, Michigan, U.S. | ||||||||
| Died | March 16, 2024(2024-03-16) (aged 66) | ||||||||
| Listed height | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | ||||||||
| Listed weight | 255 lb (116 kg) | ||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||
| High school | Basic(Henderson, Nevada) | ||||||||
| College | Nevada | ||||||||
| NFL draft | 1980: undrafted | ||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||
| |||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||
| |||||||||
Donald Frederick Smerek (December 20, 1957 – March 16, 2024) was an American professionalfootball player who was adefensive lineman for theDallas Cowboys of theNational Football League (NFL). He playedcollege football at theUniversity of Nevada.
Smerek attendedBasic High School, where he was an All-state player infootball. He also practicedbasketball.
He accepted a football scholarship from theUniversity of Nevada, which was anNCAA Division II school at the time.
In 1978, the program moved up toDivision I-AA. He contributed to the team achieving a No. 1 national ranking during that season.[1]
As a senior in 1979, he helped his team finish undefeated (11-0) in the regular season and was namedAll-Big Sky atdefensive end.[2][3]
Smerek was signed as anundrafted free agent by theDallas Cowboys after the1980 NFL draft on May 1. Intraining camp, he fractured his ribs and was placed on theinjured reserve list.[4]
In1981, he was moved todefensive tackle, but suffered a knee injury in the second game of the regular season and was placed on theinjured reserve list. While being inactive, he had a traffic related argument in the parking lot of a Dallas restaurant and was shot in the chest.[5] The shooter was never indicted with a crime, after the jurors believed there was sufficient evidence he acted in self-defense.[6] His physical fitness helped him survive the injury and return to playfootball.
In1982, he was a starter for the Cowboys in the playoffs, replacing the injuredJohn Dutton atleft defensive tackle.[7] He made his first career start in the playoffs against theGreen Bay Packers, posting 10 tackles and one sack.
In1983, he began to substituteDutton on passing downs, finishing with six sacks (fourth on the team) and 17 tackles.
In1984, although he playeddefensive tackle, head coachTom Landry gave him the first shot at retiredHarvey Martin'sright defensive end position. But due to the holdout ofRandy White, the team was forced to play him atright defensive tackle during the 4 preseason games, and he never received the opportunity to compete withJim Jeffcoat for the starting position, nor was he able to catch up.He remained in his role of a pass rush specialist atleft defensive tackle, registering 10 tackles and one sack.
In1985, he was competing for theleft defensive tackle position, but suffered a right shoulder injury that forced him to miss training camp. He tried to play in the season opener against theWashington Redskins, but his shoulder wasn't strong enough and was placed on theinjured reserve list on September 10.[8] He returned after six games, making two sacks (came in his first game against theAtlanta Falcons) and would also match his career-high 17 tackles.
In1986, he missed the first five games of the season because of a sprained knee, registering 17 tackles and 4.5 sacks.
In1987, he was placed on theinjured reserve list with a sprained knee, before crossing the picket lines and being activated in September, after theNFL players went on a strike. He would start the three replacement games atdefensive end.[9] He saw most of his playing time in passing situations during the remainder of the season. He finished with 14 tackles (9 in the fifth game against theWashington Redskins). Smerek retired after being waived on August 23,1988.[10]
Smerek lived in Texas (Weston and Van Alstyne), after his football career ended. He died from cancer on March 16, 2024, at the age of 66.[11][12]