Ted Smith, a former Ohio State All-American offensive lineman, died Saturday at the age of 71, according to his obituary. Smith earned consensus All-America honors in 1975 and played a key role at left guard during both of Archie Griffin’s Heisman Trophy-winning seasons in 1974 and 1975.
He began his Ohio State career as a linebacker in 1972 before switching to the offensive line ahead of his junior season. Smith was also named first-team All-Big Ten as a senior. He was recruited to Ohio State by legendary coach Woody Hayes, a five-time national champion.
“I didn’t like the idea at all, at first,” Smith said in a 2009 interview with the Toledo Blade. “I liked defense and hitting people. But coach Hayes told me he thought I could play on the offensive line and that’s where I would help the team the most. The first couple of days of practice were pretty miserable. Woody was on my butt pretty bad because I didn’t really have much of an idea what I was doing over there. But it slowly got better, and I learned the position. Woody knew what he was doing.”
A native of Gibsonburg, Ohio, Smith starred on both sides of the ball in high school, playing running back and linebacker, earning All-Ohio and High School All-American honors, according to the Blade. He served as team captain in both football and basketball.
“He was a die-hard Ohio State Buckeyes football fan, cheering passionately on game days and instilling that same love of the game in his family,” his obituary reads.
After his playing days at Ohio State, Smith worked in construction and later served as the paving superintendent for Shelby County in western Ohio. He retired in 2007.
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