Jags' Smith leaves game, mark on franchise

It wasn't always a smooth ride for Jimmy Smith, but the leading receiver in Jacksonville Jaguars history was a class act throughout. Smith, 37, announced his retirement Thursday following a 13-year career spent primarily in Jacksonville, where he made his mark as one of the game's all-time great receivers. Smith ends his tenure 7th on the all-time receptions list with 862 and 11th with 12,287 yards. But what Smith may be remembered for best was his quiet leadership on a team that garners very little fanfare.
Smith began his career in Dallas, where he played just seven games in three years, when the Cowboys won two Super Bowls. But in 1995, he caught on with the then-expansion Jaguars and began his legacy. In 1999, Smith led the NFL with 116 receptions for a career-high 1,636 yards while helping lead Jacksonville to its second AFC title game in four seasons. In 2001, Smith caught 112 balls for 1,373 yards and tied a career-best with 8 touchdowns while starting all 16 games for the sixth time in seven seasons. He was the only remaining member from the inaugral '95 team.
Smith, though, encountered his fair share of rough spots along the way. In November 2001, Smith was arrested on suspicion of drunken driving, when tests later reveal Smith had cocaine in his system. Smith denied ever using the drug. Then, Smith was suspended for the first four games of the 2003 season for violating the league's substance abuse policy, when he admitted that he had previously spent time in rehab for a drug addiction. And early in his career he was derailed by leg and stomach injuries, when it was thought he may not even play again. But Smith overcame the odds, and became of the all-time greats, all the while keeping a professional attitude.
(The Associated Press contributed to this article)