Notable Seminole Birthday: 1972 NCAA Receiving Leader Barry Smith Turns 75

Born Jan. 15, 1951, former Florida State football All-American wide receiver Barry Smith celebrates his 75th birthday today.

A native of Miami, Barry Smith spent three seasons as a member of the Florida State football program and two with the track and field program. Smith starred on the gridiron for the Seminoles from 1970 to 1972 and left the program as one of the most accomplished receivers to ever don the garnet and gold.

A big play waiting to happen, Smith averaged nearly 27 yards per reception as a sophomore in 1970 -- head coach Bill Peterson's final season -- finishing with 453 yards receiving and six touchdowns. Smith upped his production in 1971, catching 33 passes for 696 yards and six more touchdowns under first-year head coach Larry Jones.

It was as a senior in 1972, however, that Smith put his name on the national radar, earning All-American honors from multiple publications, including first-team recognition from the American Football Coaches Association. Smith finished second nationally with 69 receptions and joined Ron Sellers (1967 and 1968) as the only FSU players to lead the country in receiving, finishing with 1,243 yards and a nation-leading 13 touchdowns, which lasted as an FSU single-season record for 23 years.

Selected in the first round of the 1973 NFL Draft by the Green Bay Packers, Smith spent four seasons in the NFL with the Packers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. In addition to his 25 career touchdown catches, Smith also rushed for two scores and passed for another during his time in Tallahassee.

As a member of the track team in 1970, he won three events -- the 120-yard high hurdles twice and the shuttle hurdle relay once. Inducted into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1979, Smith still ranks seventh in program history with 2,392 receiving yards. His 25 career touchdown catches rank fifth in FSU history and stood as a record for a quarter-century before being broken by E.G. Green in 1997.