Southern Illinoise University Athletics
SIU Hall of Famer Dave Smith (60) appears with the rest of the offensive line from the 1988-89 Cincinnati Bengals at Super Bowl XXIII Media Day in Miami, Fla. Courtesy Bengals.com.
Dave Smith Nearly Went A Different Route
10/15/2026 | 12:21:00 | Football, General
CARBONDALE, Ill. - As an offensive and defensive tackle at Thornton Fractional South High School, Dave Smith was headed to Augustana College.
A 6-foot-8, 285-pound senior in 1983, Smith wanted to continue playing football. The Division III school in Rock Island, Ill., was his only offer, until Southern Illinois University assistant coach Dave McMichael walked into one of his basketball games. Then he came to another. And that was all he needed to see.Â
"He didn't even look at film," said Smith. "I think, back in the day you had film, but you had to put it in a bag and send it in the mail. Nothing was digital. So he came in person to see me play basketball, two different times. At the time I was 6-7, 215 pounds. When I graduated, I was 6-8, 285. He offered me a scholarship."
Smith signed the only scholarship offer he got, and redshirted during SIU's 1983 national championship season. He followed with a Hall of Fame career between 1984-87, earning first team All-Gateway Conference honors in 1987 and second team accolades in 1986. He was an honorable mention All-American in 1987 despite the Salukis going 3-8 in what was head coach Ray Dorr's fourth and final season.
Smith will be inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame Friday night, along with Andrea Estrada (volleyball), Byron Honore (football), Kevin Koski (baseball), Kyle Landon (track and field) and former All-American diver Kaixuan "Sherry" Zhang.Â
"As far as non-family things, like the birth of my children, and being married, this is the absolute top," Smith said, trying to put it into perspective. "It's an honor that is unexpected, when you look at the previous honorees and the inductees, it's like imposter syndrome. Do I really belong to this group? Clearly, somebody thought I was, and to be among some of these greats. I was there in the early 80s, with Connie Price-Smith, Terry Taylor, a first-round draft choice, Tom Baugh, Fabray Collins. There are some really great names, and some guys that I really looked up to and respected when I was there."Â
Smith blocked for running back Byron Mitchell in 1985, when he rushed for 1,211 yards, the second-most for a single season in school history at the time.Â
"A waterbug on the field," Smith said. "He would always be able to squirt away. He would put his foot in the ground and be able to evade tackles. Nobody ever really got a good shot on Byron."
After graduating with a business administration degree, Smith made the Cincinnati Bengals' 1988 roster as an undrafted free agent. Playing behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, he got into 14 games during the Bengals' magical run to Super Bowl XXIII, including a few plays in the big game. The Bengals lost 20-16 in the final minute, after Joe Montana found John Taylor from 10 yards out in the middle of the end zone.
Smith nearly didn't make the team. He recalled having a bad practice during training camp, and focusing on prioritizing the schematics of the playbook and executing them the next day. He kept writing the words "I will."Â
He nearly had to finish camp with torn shoes, until Munoz surprised him after he was turned away by the Bengals' equipment staff. Smith went to camp with the same shoes he had from SIU. When the sides started to rip, he tried to sew them, but eventually gave up and asked one of the team's equipment managers for a new pair. With a couple expletives thrown in, he said a rookie that was probably going to get cut wasn't worth them.Â
"Let me tell you an Anthony Munoz story," Smith said. "He said 'What size do you wear?' I said '14.' He said 'Come with me.' He opened the trunk of his Mercedes-Benz, and pulled out one of these boxes of shoes, and gave them to me. Here's, arguably, the best offensive lineman to ever play the game, at least the best tackle, looking at an undrafted rookie from Southern Illinois. That's the type of person that he is, and still is today."
The entire offensive line from the Bengals' Super Bowl season still have a group text going, Smith said.Â
Smith met his wife, Kathy, in Carbondale. They have four children, one daughter and three boys. Smith's company runs 10 convenience stores, one travel center, and eight car washes in the Chicagoland area.Â
A 6-foot-8, 285-pound senior in 1983, Smith wanted to continue playing football. The Division III school in Rock Island, Ill., was his only offer, until Southern Illinois University assistant coach Dave McMichael walked into one of his basketball games. Then he came to another. And that was all he needed to see.Â
"He didn't even look at film," said Smith. "I think, back in the day you had film, but you had to put it in a bag and send it in the mail. Nothing was digital. So he came in person to see me play basketball, two different times. At the time I was 6-7, 215 pounds. When I graduated, I was 6-8, 285. He offered me a scholarship."
Smith signed the only scholarship offer he got, and redshirted during SIU's 1983 national championship season. He followed with a Hall of Fame career between 1984-87, earning first team All-Gateway Conference honors in 1987 and second team accolades in 1986. He was an honorable mention All-American in 1987 despite the Salukis going 3-8 in what was head coach Ray Dorr's fourth and final season.
Smith will be inducted into the SIU Hall of Fame Friday night, along with Andrea Estrada (volleyball), Byron Honore (football), Kevin Koski (baseball), Kyle Landon (track and field) and former All-American diver Kaixuan "Sherry" Zhang.Â
"As far as non-family things, like the birth of my children, and being married, this is the absolute top," Smith said, trying to put it into perspective. "It's an honor that is unexpected, when you look at the previous honorees and the inductees, it's like imposter syndrome. Do I really belong to this group? Clearly, somebody thought I was, and to be among some of these greats. I was there in the early 80s, with Connie Price-Smith, Terry Taylor, a first-round draft choice, Tom Baugh, Fabray Collins. There are some really great names, and some guys that I really looked up to and respected when I was there."Â
Smith blocked for running back Byron Mitchell in 1985, when he rushed for 1,211 yards, the second-most for a single season in school history at the time.Â
"A waterbug on the field," Smith said. "He would always be able to squirt away. He would put his foot in the ground and be able to evade tackles. Nobody ever really got a good shot on Byron."
After graduating with a business administration degree, Smith made the Cincinnati Bengals' 1988 roster as an undrafted free agent. Playing behind Pro Football Hall of Famer Anthony Munoz, he got into 14 games during the Bengals' magical run to Super Bowl XXIII, including a few plays in the big game. The Bengals lost 20-16 in the final minute, after Joe Montana found John Taylor from 10 yards out in the middle of the end zone.
Smith nearly didn't make the team. He recalled having a bad practice during training camp, and focusing on prioritizing the schematics of the playbook and executing them the next day. He kept writing the words "I will."Â
He nearly had to finish camp with torn shoes, until Munoz surprised him after he was turned away by the Bengals' equipment staff. Smith went to camp with the same shoes he had from SIU. When the sides started to rip, he tried to sew them, but eventually gave up and asked one of the team's equipment managers for a new pair. With a couple expletives thrown in, he said a rookie that was probably going to get cut wasn't worth them.Â
"Let me tell you an Anthony Munoz story," Smith said. "He said 'What size do you wear?' I said '14.' He said 'Come with me.' He opened the trunk of his Mercedes-Benz, and pulled out one of these boxes of shoes, and gave them to me. Here's, arguably, the best offensive lineman to ever play the game, at least the best tackle, looking at an undrafted rookie from Southern Illinois. That's the type of person that he is, and still is today."
The entire offensive line from the Bengals' Super Bowl season still have a group text going, Smith said.Â
Smith met his wife, Kathy, in Carbondale. They have four children, one daughter and three boys. Smith's company runs 10 convenience stores, one travel center, and eight car washes in the Chicagoland area.Â
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