Hall of Fame
KENDAL SMITH
Hometown: Redwood City, Calif.
Sport: Football
Years: 1985-88
Arguably the greatest wide receiver in Utah State football history, Kendal Smith earned third-team All-America honors from The Associated Press and was named the Pacific Coast Athletic Association (PCAA) Offensive Player of the Year, along with earning first-team all-PCAA honors, following his senior season in 1988 as he caught 65 passes for 1,196 yards (18.4 ypr) and 11 touchdowns, setting school records for receiving yards and receiving touchdowns at the time. As a senior, Smith also returned 26 kickoffs for 524 yards (20.4 ypr) and 13 punts for 141 yards (10.8 ypr) and one touchdown as he led the team in scoring with 72 points. Smith, who ranked among the top eight players in the nation in all-purpose yards (171.55 ypg) and catches (5.91 pg) during his senior season, also tied an NCAA record by catching a touchdown pass in nine-straight games. Smith also recorded seven 100-yard receiving games during his senior season, including a career-best 208 yards on a career-high-tying 10 receptions against San José State, as those 208 receiving yards are the 12th-most in a game in school history. Smith also earned second-team all-PCAA honors as a junior as he set a then-school record with 67 receptions for 1,048 yards (15.6 ypr) and seven touchdowns, and concluded the season by recording five-straight 100-yard receiving games. As a junior, Smith ranked seventh in the nation in catches (6.09 pg) and 14th in all-purpose yards (145.36 ypg). Smith also returned 18 kickoffs for 317 yards (17.6 ypr) and 26 punts for 293 yards (11.3 ypr) and one touchdown during his junior season. As a sophomore, Smith caught 25 passes for 474 yards (18.9 ypr) and seven touchdowns, while returning 37 kickoffs for 735 yards (19.8 ypr) and 31 punts for 183 yards (5.9 ypr). And as a freshman, Smith caught 12 passes for 225 yards (18.8 ypr), returned 11 punts for 99 yards (9.0 ypr) and one kickoff for three yards. Smith concluded his collegiate career as the most productive receiver in PCAA history with his 2,952 receiving yards and 25 touchdowns, and set then-school records for receiving yards, touchdowns and receptions (169) in a career. Overall, Smith still holds school records in receiving yards, touchdown receptions and punt returns (81), and ranks third all-time in receptions, fourth all-time in all-purpose yards (5,266), sixth all-time in receiving average (17.4 ypr), tied for seventh all-time in total touchdowns (28) and tied for seventh all-time in punt return average (9.3 ypr). Overall, Smith led Utah State in receiving as a sophomore, junior and senior, and led the team in scoring as both a sophomore and senior. He finished his career with 15 games with at least 100 yards receiving, which ranks second all-time in school history. Furthermore, his 11 touchdown receptions as a senior still ranks second all-time in school history, while his 1,196 receiving yards that season ranks fifth. He also holds two of the top receptions numbers in school history as his 67 catches during his junior season are the ninth-most and his 66 receptions as a senior are tied for the 12th-most, and his 18.9 yards per reception average during his sophomore season still ranks 10th all-time at USU. Following his collegiate career, Smith played in both the Blue-Gray All-Star Game and the East-West Shrine Game before being drafted in the seventh round of the 1989 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals, where he played for two seasons. Smith was also one of 24 Aggie greats named to USU’s All-Century football team in 1993.
