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Keep the history alive!
Keep the history alive!
Born on August 10, 1961, in Fayetteville but raised in Plano, TX where he attended Plano Senior High School before joining the Razorbacks in 1979. Being recruited out of high school, Billy Ray Smith, Jr. became a star at Arkansas where it is said that his father made him the proposition that he would buy him a new car if he went to Arkansas with the Hogs, or he could walk to Austin from Plano if he selected the Longhorns. Naturally he selected Fayetteville where Holtz was able to capitalize on his newfound defensive end.
In his senior year, number 87 Billy Ray Smith, Jr. served as a team captain and would help lead his team to a 9-2-1 season and a Bluebonnet Bowl victory (28-24) over Florida. This would propel the Hogs to end the season ranked #8.
Between the 1979 and 1982 seasons playing under the legendary coach Lou Holtz, Billy Ray Smith, Jr. would wreck havoc on the backfield of opposition teams in the SWC. During his career, he would set a school record of 63 tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage amounting to 343 yards. Overall, he had 299 tackles during his stay in Fayetteville. This was all on his way to being selected to first team All-American in both 1981 and 1982.
In his senior year, number 87 Billy Ray Smith, Jr. served as a team captain and would help lead his team to a 9-2-1 season and a Bluebonnet Bowl victory (28-24) over Florida. This would propel the Hogs to end the season ranked #8.
Between the 1979 and 1982 seasons playing under the legendary coach Lou Holtz, Billy Ray Smith, Jr. would wreck havoc on the backfield of opposition teams in the SWC. During his career, he would set a school record of 63 tackles for loss behind the line of scrimmage amounting to 343 yards. Overall, he had 299 tackles during his stay in Fayetteville. This was all on his way to being selected to first team All-American in both 1981 and 1982.
Now all of this didn't just happen with Billy Ray Smith, Jr. being just another recruit.
As a sophomore his father Billy Ray Smith, Sr. had been one of the 25 Little Pigs of the 1954 team coached by Bowden Wyatt. As a sophomore Senior would play as a tackle and along with players like Preston Carpenter, Buddy Bob Benson, and Henry Moore, the 25 Little Pigs would win the SWC Conference Championship and meet Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl on January 1 in Dallas (loss 6-14). In '54 the team would end the season with a record of 8-3-0.
During 1956, Billy Ray Smith, Sr. was selected as a member of the first All-SWC team. Born on January 27, 1935, in Augusta, AR, Smith became a standout football player at Augusta High School where he was selected as a member of the All-American Prep Team. The selection allowed him to play in the High School All-American Game of 1953 before being offered a scholarship to play for the Hogs.
Senior along with Junior have both been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. This is unique making them only the second father-son football group to be inducted (the only other family group is the Burnett family).
Both father and son are also members of U of A Hall of Honor, All-Decade and All-Century Teams for the University. In addition to these awards, Sports Illustrated has named Billy Ray Smith Sr. as one of the "Fifty Greatest Sports Figures from Arkansas."
As a sophomore his father Billy Ray Smith, Sr. had been one of the 25 Little Pigs of the 1954 team coached by Bowden Wyatt. As a sophomore Senior would play as a tackle and along with players like Preston Carpenter, Buddy Bob Benson, and Henry Moore, the 25 Little Pigs would win the SWC Conference Championship and meet Georgia Tech in the Cotton Bowl on January 1 in Dallas (loss 6-14). In '54 the team would end the season with a record of 8-3-0.
During 1956, Billy Ray Smith, Sr. was selected as a member of the first All-SWC team. Born on January 27, 1935, in Augusta, AR, Smith became a standout football player at Augusta High School where he was selected as a member of the All-American Prep Team. The selection allowed him to play in the High School All-American Game of 1953 before being offered a scholarship to play for the Hogs.
Senior along with Junior have both been inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame. This is unique making them only the second father-son football group to be inducted (the only other family group is the Burnett family).
Both father and son are also members of U of A Hall of Honor, All-Decade and All-Century Teams for the University. In addition to these awards, Sports Illustrated has named Billy Ray Smith Sr. as one of the "Fifty Greatest Sports Figures from Arkansas."
If you are one of those rabid Razorback fans interested in knowing even more about the history of the Hog football program, then get your very own copy of "Hit That Line" from the Apple Store, Barnes and Nobles online, or the world's largest e-book publisher - Smashwords.com.
Join us next month, as we once again recall tales of the games, players, and coaches from the past.
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