A five-time Pro Bowl selection with the Buffalo Bills, he also played for the San Francisco 49ers and New England Patriots.
Smerlas, of Greek-American descent, graduated from Waltham High School in 1975, where he was a star football player and wrestler.
[2] Smerlas' 1990 autobiography, By a Nose, recounts his 11 years with the Bills and their climb from cellar-dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.
In 2018, the Professional Football Researchers Association named Smerlas to the PFRA Hall of Very Good Class of 2018.
[5] A Boston Herald article [6] announced on April 6, 2007, that Fred considered seeking the Massachusetts 5th US Congressional seat being vacated by Martin T. Meehan as a Republican candidate.