Smith was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and attended Maine East High School in suburban Chicago.

[1] He played college football at the end position for the Michigan Wolverines from 1963 to 1965.

[2] He was selected by the San Francisco 49ers in the fifth round (71st overall pick) of the 1966 NFL draft.

He played eight seasons in the NFL at the offensive tackle and defensive end positions for the Pittsburgh Steelers (1966), Minnesota Vikings (1968–70), and Philadelphia Eagles (1971–74).

[1] He was traded along with second- and sixth-round selections in 1971 (50th and 154th overall–Hank Allison and Mississippi defensive back Wyck Neely respectively) and a 1972 third-round pick (76th overall–Bobby Majors) from the Vikings to the Eagles for Norm Snead on January 28, 1971.