FAYETTEVILLE — Chris Smith’s former teammates and coaches said Tuesday they will always remember his smile and his cheerful nature.
The tributes began pouring in from across the country following the death of Smith, the popular former All-SEC player for the Arkansas Razorbacks and former NFL player from Salisbury, N.C.
Smith, 31, was playing for the Seattle Sea Dragons of the XFL this season after a lengthy stint in the NFL. The time or cause of his death has not been announced.
“Chris was a wonderful man and a heck of a football player,” Arkansas Coach Sam Pittman said in a statement to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. “He worked hard here at Arkansas and earned everything he got as a professional. We’re all saddened by his sudden passing, and we’re certainly thinking of his family and friends.”
Former Arkansas player and assistant coach Tim Horton, who recruited Smith out of West Rowan High School, 50 miles north of Charlotte, N.C., said, “The first thing you noticed about Chris was what a great smile he had.
“The second was he looked like a Greek god. I mean he was a great-looking kid all the way back in high school, and then he just continued to develop himself more and more as he went into college and pro football.”
The Sea Dragons wrote in a statement, “The entire XFL family mourns the loss of Chris Smith, a cherished player and member of the Seattle Sea Dragons.”
His hometown newspaper, the Salisbury Post, wrote in an online obituary posted late Monday that Smith “had been the ultimate give-back guy and had been a generous donor to local schools and projects” who “stayed close to his Rowan County roots.”
Former Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield, once a teammate of Smith’s, wrote on Twitter, “To know him was to love him. Heaven got a good one. We’ll never forget you and we will always miss you. RIP Chris.”
Former Arkansas receiver Javontee Herndon, a contemporary of Smith’s, posted a picture of the two exchanging jerseys at an NFL game and wrote, “That smile and that laugh you can hear from a mile away. … Rest up big boy.”
A defensive team captain and second-team All-SEC choice in 2013, Smith ranks fourth on the University of Arkansas’ career sacks list with 21.5.
The Browns, for whom Smith played from 2018-19, posted on their official Twitter site that the organization was saddened by his passing.
“Chris was one of the kindest people, teammates and friends we’ve had in our organization,” team officials wrote in their post.
“Chris was one of the kindest players and people that I’ve ever met,” Browns All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett told The Associated Press. “He was willing to give you the shirt off his back. It’s hard just knowing people like that can go at any time. You just never know what people are dealing with or know what they’re struggling with.”
Tragedy intruded on the last several years of Smith’s life.
His girlfriend Petara Cordero, the mother of his daughter Haven, was killed in 2019 when a vehicle struck her on the side of a highway in Cleveland after Smith’s car suffered a tire malfunction and hit the median.
Smith, an Arkansas standout from 2010-13, racked up 21.5 sacks and 122 tackles for the Razorbacks. He had 18 sacks in his final two seasons.
He had been in the news in Arkansas over the past year as Razorback linebacker Drew Sanders’ 9.5 sacks in 2022 matched the highest total for a Razorback since Smith posted 9.5 in 2012.
Smith spent all or parts of eight seasons in the NFL with seven franchises after being drafted in the fifth round with the 159th pick of the 2014 NFL Draft by the Jacksonville Jaguars. He registered 11 sacks in 72 NFL games.
Smith’s last season in the NFL was in 2021 with the Houston Texans.