SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, Aug. 29, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — Alex Smith was back on the field for one more memorable moment at Rice-Eccles Stadium on Thursday night.
Smith, the quarterback who led the University of Utah to an undefeated season in 2004 and emerged as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft, became the inaugural inductee into the Utah Football Ring of Honor at halftime of the Utes’ season-opener against Southern Utah.
“The amount of pride I have for this program … and to have been a part of it and to be a part of it now as an alumni, it’s changed my life,” Smith said prior to the game. “I’m so incredibly grateful for it, and so I’m so proud where the program’s come and is continuing to go.
“To find out that it was going to be my name going first, it’s so incredibly humbling; it’s overwhelming.”
Each season, the new tradition will honor Utah players and coaches who have achieved the highest honors in college football, as professionals and in the community. Following Smith’s solo induction, the university plans to add two members each season to the Ring of Honor.
Smith, who is being inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame this year, was a first-team All-American and a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2004 for the Utes, finishing his collegiate career with 5,203 passing yards and 47 touchdowns, along with 1,072 rushing yards and 15 rushing TDs.
He was a two-time All-Mountain West selection and was named the conference’s Offensive Player of the Year and National Player of the Year by Sports Illustrated in 2004.
Smith ranks in the top 10 all-time in 16 career statistical categories at Utah and holds school records for career passing efficiency (164.42) and yards per pass completion (13.38), while ranking second in career completion percentage (.663) and fourth in quarterback wins (21).
The La Mesa, California, native also holds Utah records for single-season touchdown passes (32) and total touchdowns (42), as well as TD passes in a bowl game (four vs. Pittsburgh in the Fiesta Bowl in 2004) and the Rice-Eccles Stadium record for yards per play (10.36 vs. Texas A&M in 2004).
Smith’s success at Utah made him the No. 1 overall pick in the 2005 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers. He enjoyed a 16-year NFL career that included three trips to the Pro Bowl and recognition as the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year after returning to the field from a devastating and nearly fatal leg injury.
Smith played for San Francisco (2005-12), Kansas City (2013-17) and Washington (2018-20) during his pro career, seeing action in 174 games. He completed 3,250 passes for 35,650 yards and 199 touchdowns, ranking in the top 35 all-time in the NFL in career passing yards.
Smith also made time to give back to the community during his NFL career. In 2018, he established the Alex Smith Foundation, which provides foster teens with tools and resources to help them successfully transition to adulthood by developing and promoting education, advocacy, mentoring, housing, internships and job programs.
He also joined Team OOFOS in the Pan-Mass Challenge in 2023 and 2024, a 200-mile bike ride across Massachusetts to help raise awareness and funds for cancer research.
To qualify for the Utah Football Ring of Honor, former Utes must have been inducted into the Crimson Club Hall of Fame, attended Utah for at least three years and graduated from a four-year institution.
Inductees also must have achieved one of the following:
- Set school records
- Earned consensus All-America honors
- Play 10 or more years in the NFL
- Coach a team to at least two conference championships
