Lovie Lee Smith (born May 8, 1958) is an American football coach who is the defensive coordinator for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the head coach of the Chicago Bears and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as well as the Illinois Fighting Illini. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Bears in 2006.
Smith began his NFL coaching career as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Under the guidance of Tony Dungy, he helped develop the Tampa 2 defense. After spending five years with Buccaneers, Smith was hired as the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams under head coach Mike Martz. While in St. Louis, Smith improved the Rams defense, which went from giving up a league-worst 29.4 points per game in 2000 to an average of 17.1 points in 2001. The Rams won the 2001 NFC Championship and advanced to Super Bowl XXXVI. The team ultimately lost to the New England Patriots in one of the biggest Super Bowl upsets of all time.
Lovie Smith was among the more respected, successful coaches in the NFL. He rose to prominence as the defensive coordinator in St. Louis, where he helped the Rams improve from 23rd in yards allowed and 31st in points allowed in 2000 to third and seventh, respectively, in 2001, Smith’s first season in St. Louis.
That turnaround earned him the head-coaching job in Chicago, where he led the Bears to three playoff appearances, one NFC title and an appearance in Super Bowl XLI. Led by an incredibly stingy, suffocating defense, the Bears won 15 games (13 in the regular season, plus two playoff games) before falling to Tony Dungy’s Indianapolis Colts in a rain-soaked affair.
A year earlier, Smith earned AP Coach of the Year Honors after helping the Bears flip their 5-11 record in his first season to 11-5 in year two. Smith remained in Chicago through 2012 before he was fired after the Bears went 10-6 but missed the playoffs.
THE CHICAGO EXPERIENCE:
The Chicago Bears hired Smith as head coach in 2004, following the dismissal of Dick Jauron. Upon arriving in Chicago, Smith stated he had three goals: beat the Green Bay Packers; win the NFC North; and win a Super Bowl.[5] He struggled during his first season with the Bears, as the installation of new offensive and defensive systems and a series of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Rex Grossman, contributed to a 5–11 record. Despite their poor offense, the Bears’ defense saw some major improvement, rising from 22nd in 2003 to 13th in 2004.
In 2005, history repeated itself when quarterback Rex Grossman suffered a serious injury during the preseason and missed a majority of the season. Despite Grossman’s loss, Smith and Ron Rivera used a dominant defense and the timely play of backup quarterback Kyle Orton to earn an 11–5 record, after starting the season with a 1–3 record. The Bears defense finished second in the league in terms of yardage, while allowing the fewest points in the league.
The Bears’ dramatic turn around in the 2005 season earned Smith national recognition. He won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award that year. After returning to the field following their first round bye, the Bears played the Carolina Panthers, with a fully healed Rex Grossman as quarterback. Both the Bears’ offense and defense struggled to keep up with the Panthers, and eventually lost, 29–21.
The Bears’ management drew criticism in April 2006, by trading away their first round pick and drafting five defensive players. The preseason criticism increased when he named Grossman, who struggled to move the Bears’ offense during the preseason, as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Grossman led the Bears to seven consecutive victories, but struggled during the later portion of the season. Smith stood by Grossman, stating “Rex is our quarterback” when questioned by the media. The Bears finished the 2006 season with a 13–3 record, earning the NFC’s top playoff seed. The Bears finished the season with the NFL’s second-ranked scoring offense, and fifth-ranked overall defense.
Smith led the Bears to a 27–24 victory against the defending NFC champion Seattle Seahawks during the 2006 Divisional Playoffs, winning the first playoff game of his career. Later, a 39–14 victory came against the New Orleans Saints at the NFC Championship. Smith became the first African-American head coach (and the second minority coach, behind Tom Flores) to lead his team to a Super Bowl, just hours before Indianapolis Colts head coach Tony Dungy, his good friend and mentor, became the second. The friends together became the first two African American head coaches to oppose each other in a Super Bowl. The Bears lost Super Bowl XLI, 29–17.
2007–2012
Following Chicago’s successful season, Smith requested a pay raise. The lowest-paid coach in the NFL in 2006 at $1.35 million, Smith would have earned $1.45 million in the final season of a four-year contract. After a stalemate in contract negotiations, the Bears signed Smith to a new four-year contract worth $22 million on March 1.[17] However, he parted with defensive coordinator Ron Rivera, who was not re-signed after his contract expired. Additionally, four other members of Smith’s coaching staff also left the team.
On March 7, 2016, Smith was named head coach for the University of Illinois, agreeing to a contract paying $21 million over six years. In the 48 hours following the announcement of the Smith hire, the university sold over 2000 new season tickets and more than 400 new student season tickets.
When Smith’s contract was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees at their September 2016 meeting, $2 million of the salary was moved from the last two years of the contract and made payable in earlier years. Additionally, the contract provided for up to $8 million in performance bonuses.
On October 19, 2019, the Fighting Illini had their most significant win since Smith took over as head coach with a 24–23 upset over then #6 Wisconsin. In 2019, Smith led the Fighting Illini to a 6–6 regular season record and to their first bowl game since 2014.
On January 30, 2021, Smith was hired by the Houston Texans as their defensive coordinator under head coach David Culley.
MORE ON LOVIE SMITH
Lovie Smith was born in Gladewater and raised in Big Sandy, Texas.[1] He was named after his great aunt, Lavana.
Playing career
High school
During Smith’s high school career at Big Sandy, he earned all-state honors for three years as a defensive end and linebacker. His team won three consecutive state championships from 1973 to 1975, including a 0–0 tie in 1974 versus G. A. Moore‘s Celina. In 1975, Big Sandy had one of the most dominant seasons in high school football history, as the defense allowed only 15 points (11 shutouts) all season, while the offense, featuring eventual Miami Dolphins running back David Overstreet, scored a then-national record 824 points.
College
Smith played college football at University of Tulsa under head coach John Cooper. He was a two-time All-American at linebacker and defensive back.
Smith, whose mother is blind because of diabetes, is an active supporter of the American Diabetes Association. He and his wife are also the founders of the Lovie and MaryAnne Smith Foundation, a program which provides educational and life skill opportunities to worthy young people who otherwise face barriers in reaching their educational goals. He was the Grand Marshal for the USG Sheetrock 400 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series race at Chicagoland Speedway on July 15, 2007.
Smith is a devout Christian and has contributed every month to Brown’s Chapel, his former Methodist church in Texas, even though he no longer resides in Texas. In 2012, Smith was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame, along with Bubba Smith, Dave Parks, Andre Ware, Mack Brown and Fred Couples.
