Timmy Smith
former professional American football player
Timothy LaRay Smith (born January 21, 1964) is an American former professional football player who was a running back in the National Football League (NFL) for the Washington Redskins and the Dallas Cowboys. He played college football for the Texas Tech Red Raiders. Smith rose to fame after setting a rushing record in Super Bowl XXII.
Early life
Smith attended Hobbs High School, where he played football and basketball. He graduated with the state of New Mexico record for rushing yards (2,306 yards) and rushing touchdowns (31).
He accepted a scholarship from Texas Tech University. As a sophomore, he led the Red Raiders in rushing with 164 carries for 711 yards. The next season, he rushed for 97 yards on 7 carries and 2 touchdowns in the season opener against the University of New Mexico, until he was hit after scoring his second touchdown, which resulted in a knee injury that kept him out of action for most of the year, finishing with 26 carries for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns.
As a fifth year senior, he suffered a fractured foot and ankle during an early-season practice, that sidelined him again for most of the season, posting 7 carries for 19 yards. He finished his college career after appearing in 28 games, with 292 carries for 1,313 yards and 8 touchdowns.
Professional career
Washington Redskins
Smith was selected by the Washington Redskins in the fifth round (117th overall) of the 1987 NFL draft, because of his combination of size and athletic ability.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Timmy Smith” as former professional 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 former professional American football player. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Chronology provides the most reliable spine for this subject; interpretation should follow only after identities and dates are secure. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 21, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2918426. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1964 and 1987.
A concise life account rarely captures disputed attribution, private networks or the changing language used to describe a career. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. 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 “Timmy Smith”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow Timmy Smith primary sources, Timmy Smith archive and Timmy 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 “Timmy Smith”?
- 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 “Timmy Smith” 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.