Sherman Smith was there!

AFC West memories: Zig-zagging Zorn

Sports: Saturday, September 08, 2001
By Percy Allen
Seattle Times staff reporter

Editor's note: As the Seahawks play their final season in the AFC West, The Times looks back at some favorite memories in the division.

They were considered outsiders when they joined the division in 1976, and Zorn, their quarterback, did very little to shy away from the tag with his unorthodox style of play.

"For us it was lots of bootleg," he said. "It was sprint-outs. We had the sprint draw with (running back) Sherman Smith. I would sprint out. I scrambled. With us, we had a very wide-open offense when it came to the AFC West.

"We were one of the first teams to put three receivers on the field and put people in motion. I remember Kansas City went the other way. They put three running backs on the field and tried to cram it down your throat. We had a different approach."

The Unexpected Trade

Source: www.gospel.com.net
by Luis Palau

National Football League running back Sherman Smith, the "Sherman Tank," stood six feet four inches tall and packed 225 pounds of the most solid muscle you’d ever want to tackle. His reputation for bowling over defensive linemen raised his celebrity to near-cult status in the Pacific Northwest, where he played for the Seattle Seahawks. Sherman couldn’t cross a Seattle street without being stopped, patted on the back, or asked for an autograph. He was treated like royalty among the gentry.

Without warning, the Seahawks traded their most popular player to the San Diego Chargers. Everything changed for this running back whose Christian faith was as rock-solid as his rib cage.

But while his knee mended, Sherman had the opportunity to lead one of his teammates to the Lord. That converted party-guy, Miles McPherson, has since become an outstanding youth evangelist who reaches tens of thousands of people each year.

Why was Sherman traded to San Diego? God wanted to use him, all right!

Catching up with Sherman Smith: No. 47 coaches Eddie George now

By José Miguel Romero
Seattle Times staff reporter

Sherman Smith was the first to do many things as a Seattle Seahawk.

He was the first offensive player the Seahawks ever drafted, selected with the team's second pick of the second round in 1976, its inaugural season. He was the first Seahawk to rush for more than 100 yards in a game, gaining 124 on 14 carries in the Seahawks' first regular-season home victory, a 30-13 win over Atlanta at the Kingdome.

Smith was the first Seahawk to wear uniform No. 47, and no other player has worn it since 1992. He was the team's first rushing leader, the forerunner to the great Seahawks running backs of franchise history — Curt Warner, Chris Warren, John L. Williams, Ricky Watters and Shaun Alexander.

Twenty-one seasons after leaving the Seahawks in a trade just before the 1983 season, Smith is still in the NFL. He's the running-backs coach for the Tennessee Titans, one of the AFC's top teams, and spends his days working with running backs Eddie George, Robert Holcombe and rookie Chris Brown.

Smith and his family — wife Sharon, daughter Shavonne and son Sherman — have made the Nashville area their home for the seven seasons Smith has coached in Tennessee. He joined the franchise when they were the Houston Oilers, and has been with coach Jeff Fisher since 1995.

Shavonne graduated from the University of Tennessee with a master's degree in education and is now a teacher. The younger Sherman is a junior defensive back at Miami of Ohio, his father's alma mater, and is majoring in manufacturing and engineering.

Smith has been coaching since 1985, two years after he ended his playing career. After leaving the Seahawks, he played for the San Diego Chargers, then came back to the Seattle area as a teacher and coach at Redmond Junior High School and Redmond High School.

In 1990, he returned to his former college team as running-backs coach, then spent three years at the University of Illinois (1992-94) coaching tight ends and running backs.

"Every level is a different challenge," Smith said. "It's the same game, but I relate well to these guys (in the pros). Coaching at this level has been no more rewarding than at every other level."

Smith may be working for another NFL team, but he's still a Seahawks fan. He recalls how he got used to the rain and overcast skies of "the prettiest place I've ever lived in," and the excitement of how the city took to the Seahawks.

"I hope we (the Titans) have an opportunity to meet them (the Seahawks) in the playoffs," Smith said, referring to this year's Super Bowl.