After 11 years at Burnley, he had short spells at Brighton and Bristol City before retiring to take up coaching at Sheffield Wednesday.
Smith then took over at Third Division Plymouth Argyle in December 1984 from Johnny Hore and fifteenth position was achieved in his first part-season.
In 1987 Smith took Plymouth to 7th position in the second tier of English football, narrowly missing out on the end of season play-offs.
Smith's legendary status amongst Argyle fans was helped by his colourful personality, which included using poetry to describe his team's performance and wearing his tartan cap for good luck.
Smith is featured on one of the many murals within Plymouth Argyle's Home Park stadium, reflecting his status as one of the club's most popular and successful managers.