Flint Northwestern, 1990
2023 Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame Inductee
Category: Football
Fernando Smith’s journey started at Flint Northwestern High School, where he excelled on the football field playing the quarterback and linebacker positions for the Wildcats.
Smith was selected first-team All-City, first-team All-Saginaw Valley and was one of the top ranked football prospects in the state of Michigan.
He continued his academic and football career at Jackson State University. At Jackson State, Smith continued to dominate on defense and, during his senior season, had 131 tackles, 11 sacks and 14 tackles for losses.
The 6-foot-6, 270-pound linebacker was named an All-American selection by the Football Gazette and the Sheridan Broadcasting Network. Smith also played in the 1994 Blue-Gray Classic all-star game.
In 1994, Smith was drafted in the second round of the NFL Draft by the Minnesota Vikings. he made 161 Tackles and had 20 sacks during his 8-year NFL career, playing for the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville Jaguars, Baltimore Ravens and St. Louis Rams.
Fernando Smith, you are the true definition of being “Flint Strong!” You have made Flint proud. Welcome to the Greater Flint African American Sports Hall of Fame!
