Steve Smith was born on May 12, 1979 in Lynwood, California. Although Smith did not have the easiest life as a young child, he worked as hard as he could to be a success on the football field. And even though he has made it big in the NFL, this has not stopped him from working hard day in and day out. This is one of the main reasons that Smith has become known as one of the top wide receivers in the league.
After high school Smith decided to attend Santa Monica Jr. College. Although he did not attend a four year college right out of high school, again, this did not stop him from working for his goals. After two stellar years at Santa Monica, Smith caught the eye of the coaching staff at the University of Utah. Although he had a great career at Utah, it was not until an impressive performance at the Blue-Gray All Star Game that he started to receive attention from NFL scouts.
In the third round of the 2001 NFL Draft the Carolina Panthers chose Smith. Although he did not get to play a lot of wide receiver during his first season, he did make his mark on special teams. Smith led all rookies with nearly 2,000 net yards on kick and punt returns. Not only was this top for rookies, but it also put him at the top of list among everybody in the league.
In 2002, Smith earned a spot as a starting wide receiver, and since then he has been showing up opposing defenses. Smith has been named to the Pro Bowl three times, and is sure to see many more of these as his career moves forward.
With plenty more years to play, Steve Smith has the chance to be one of the best wide receivers in NFL history.
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