Sherman Smith To Speak At Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast May 7

Sherman Smith

The 41st annual Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast will be held Tuesday, May 7, at the Chattanooga Convention Center, Exhibit Hall A & B.  Doors open at 6:45 a.m. and the buffet begins at 7 a.m.  The program will be from 7:20-8:30 a.m. 

The purpose of the Chattanooga Area Leadership Prayer Breakfast is to encourage morality and ethics in the lives of all people in positions of leadership in business, government, and the professions.

This year's speaker will be Sherman Smith, former NFL player and Super Bowl coach. 

Mr. Smith grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, where he played quarterback for his high school football team. After graduation, he attended Miami University in Ohio, playing quarterback and leading the Redhawks to the Mid-American Conference title in each of his last three seasons, with a stellar record of 33-1-1.

Mr. Smith was drafted in the second round of the 1976 NFL Draft by the Seattle Seahawks as a running back. As a Seahawk, Mr. Smith was called "The Tank" in reference to the Sherman Tank because of his ability to run through tackles. He was the first Seahawk to rush for over 100 yards when he ran for 124 yards against the Atlanta Falcons on Nov. 7, 1976. Mr. Smith led the team in rushing in his first four seasons, eventually amassing 3,429 yards and 28 touchdowns in his seven years with the team. He also caught the ball 210 times for a total of 2,445 yards and 10 touchdowns. He later played for the San Diego Chargers. 

Following his playing career, Mr. Smith joined the staff of the Houston Oilers (now the Tennessee Titans) as running back coach, where he helped mold Eddie George into one of the league's elite running backs. In 2008, Mr. Smith left the Titans to join the Washington Redskins as offensive coordinator, reuniting with his former Seahawks teammate, Jim Zorn, who had been named head coach of the Redskins. In 2010, Mr. Smith reunited with his former team, the Seattle Seahawks, when hired as their running back coach, where he helped lead them to win the 2014 Super Bowl. 

In 2017, Mr. Smith retired from coaching and now lives in Franklin, Tn., with his wife, Sharon. They have three adult children and seven grandchildren.