J. T. Smith (American football)
American football player
John Thomas Smith (born October 29, 1955) is an American former professional football player who was a wide receiver and return specialist in the National Football League (NFL) from 1978 to 1990. He played college football for the North Texas Mean Green. Smith played in the NFL for the Washington Redskins, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the St.Louis/Phoenix Cardinals. His best year as a professional came during the strike shortened 1987 season for the Cardinals when he led the NFL with 91 receptions for 1,117 yards, a feat aided by the fact he played alongside the replacement players while his usual teammates were on strike.
On May 17, 2011, Smith was named the interim head coach of the Iowa Barnstormers in the Arena Football League. He remained the head coach until the conclusion of the season.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “J. T. Smith (American football)” as american football player. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the people & ideas register because the source frames it as american football player. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
The entry’s evidential value lies in the named roles, institutions and publications that can be tested against primary documentation. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q6107214. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1955, 1978, 1990 and 1987.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The source lead contains qualifying language; that uncertainty should survive quotation, summary and reuse. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Read biographical claims against dates, named institutions and the cited references. Distinguish a subject’s later reputation from evidence produced during their lifetime.
- Establishing names and roles
- Building a first chronology
- Locating cited institutions
Personal papers, civil or court records, institutional files and the scholarship cited by the source.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “J. T. Smith (American football)”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow J. T. Smith (American football) primary sources, J. T. Smith (American football) archive and Smith research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “J. T. Smith (American football)”?
- How has the subject’s reputation changed across later accounts?
- Which primary records establish identity, chronology and institutional ties?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “J. T. Smith (American football)” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.