Smith, "Bubba" (Charles A.)
Football
b. Feb. 18, 1945, Orange, TX
One of the first genuinely dominant defensive lineman, the 6-foot-8, 280-pound Smith was amazingly agile and quick for a player his size. He once said that his technique was to grab an armload of opponents, sort them out until he found the one with the ball, and then throw him to the ground.
An All-American defensive end at Michigan State in 1965 and 1966, Smith joined the Baltimore Colts as their first-round draft choice in 1967 and was a starter with Baltimore for five years. He was named to the All-National Football Conference team three years in a row, 1969 through 1971.
After missing the entire 1972 season with a knee injury, Smith lost some of his effectiveness, although he was still a very good defensive lineman. He played for the Oakland Raiders from 1973 through 1975 and with the Houston Oilers from 1975 through 1977.
Smith won acting roles in several movies, most notably the "Police Academy" series, and on a number of television shows after retiring from football.