High School Career
Smith played high school football as a wide receiver and defensive back at Santa Monica High School (Samohi). He was the CIF Southern Section Co-Player of the Year in 1976. Dennis Smith was a great prospect who went on to be a Pro Bowl player. But at that time his standard as a player was to emulate Dennis Thurman, who had been such an outstanding player previously at Samohi in 1974 who also later starred at USC and Smith would eventually follow Thurman as a freshman to run track and play football at USC as a safety. Smith also ran on the track & field team at Santa Monica and broke the HS high jump record (which has since been eclipsed) in 1977. He was coached by Tebb Kusserow who has also coached other NFL notables such as Dennis Thurman, Junior Thurman, Mel Kaufman, Pat O'Hara, Dean Cain (TV's Superman), Glyn Milburn, Sam Anno, Damone Johnson and many others. Smith has alo been inducted into the Santa Monica High School Hall of Fame for athletes and has had his number "symbolically" retired by the school.
Read more about this topic: Dennis Smith (American Football)
Famous quotes containing the words high school, high, school and/or career:
“When I was in high school I thought a vocation was a particular calling. Here’s a voice: “Come, follow me.” My idea of a calling now is not: “Come.” It’s like what I’m doing right now, not what I’m going to be. Life is a calling.”
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Through many a listening chamber, cave and ruin,
And starlight wood, with fearful steps pursuing
Hopes of high talk with the departed dead.”
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