Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Photos: Lovie Smith
A native of Big Sandy, Texas, Lovie Smith led the Big Sandy High School Wildcats to three consecutive state championships, earning all-state honors at DE and LB
Smith, who didn't encounter stoplights until he went to college, said his values are originally rooted in his small-town upbringing
After high school, Smith played his college football at the University of Tulsa, where he was a two-time All-American
Smith was also a three-time all-conference pick and the Missouri Valley Conference Newcomer of the Year
Lovie Smith went directly into coaching after his playing days were over, beginning at his high school alma mater in 1980 then jumping to the college ranks at Tulsa in 1983. He later moved on to Wisconsin, Arizona State, Kentucky, Tennessee and Ohio State.
At Tennessee, Smith worked under Head Coach Phillip Fulmer before joining John Cooper's staff at Ohio State in 1995, his final stop before the NFL.
Smith's first job in the NFL came in Tampa, where he joined Tony Dungy's staff as the linebackers coach in 1996.
After five seasons in charge of the Buccaneers' linebackers, Smith was hired by the St. Louis Rams as their defensive coordinator in 2001.
In Smith's first year in charge of the St. Louis defense, the Rams allowed just 17.1 points per game, an enormous improvement from the 2000 squad that had surrendered 29.4 points per contest.
Smith helped lead the Rams to a conference title and Super Bowl XXXVI in 2001.
Among the many outstanding defenders Lovie Smith has helped mold during his time as an NFL coach is LB London Fletcher, who was a standout performer for the Rams in 2001.
Smith helped the Rams go back to the playoffs in 2003 with a 12-4 record before leaving to take over the Chicago Bears.
The Bears named Lovie Smith their head coach in 2004, and by 2005 Chicago had the league's top scoring defense and an 11-5 record that put them back into the playoffs for the first time in four years.
Smith was named the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year after that successful 2005 campaign.
During Smith's nine years at the Bears' helm, his players combined to earn 37 invitations to the Pro Bowl.
In 2006, Smith led the Bears back to the Super Bowl for the first time in more than decades, directing a team that ranked second in the NFL in scoring on offense and fifth in overall defense.
Smith's Bears met Tony Dungy's Indianapolis Colts in Super Bowl XLI, making those two the first African-American head coaches to lead their teams to the Super Bowl.
At each of his coaching stops, Lovie Smith commanded respect from his players, as was clear from the outpouring of well wishes from his former chargers after he was hired in Tampa.
The Bears won three division titles during Smith's nine years as head coach, as many as the team had captured over the previous 16 seasons
Even in Smith's final season in Chicago, the Bears compiled a 10-6 record, missing out on the playoffs on a tiebreaker, and boasted an offense that had a 3,000-yard passer, a 1,000-yard runner and a 1,000-yard receiver for just the second time in team history.
Overall, Smith finished his tenure as the Chicago Bears' head coach with an 81-63 record, plus a 3-3 mark in the postseason.
