5 Must-Know Steve Smith Sr. Facts

Every franchise has a couple of players who fans love, not only because of the statistical production they bring to the team, but because of the attitude that comes with it. One player who fits that definition is former Carolina Panthers receiver Steve Smith Sr.

Smith became known for his hard-nosed, trash-talking approach that ignited countless scraps on the field, delighting fans everywhere. But Smith was so much more than just a spark plug, as evidenced by the incredible career he put together in Carolina, and to a lesser extent, with the Baltimore Ravens.

It is common knowledge that Smith ranks eighth in NFL history with 14,731 receiving yards. It is less commonly known that Smith amassed those yards while standing only 5-foot-9. The average height for receivers in the current NFL is 6 feet, making Smith notably undersized for the position. Of the receivers who make up the NFL's top 10 all-time receivers, Smith is the only one who is below 6 feet tall. Smith was constantly at a height disadvantage throughout his career, making his achievements even more impressive.

If a wide receiver ever leads the NFL in receptions, yardage, or touchdown, it is usually the highlight of their career. Even fewer receivers have ever led the league in all three categories in a single season, like Smith did in his 2005 campaign. He played all 16 games on the way to amassing 103 receptions, an insane 1,563 yards, and 12 touchdowns.

Smith managed to put all of those stats on the board without a single bit of help, which both helped him and hurt him. Panthers quarterback Jake Delhomme did not have many good targets aside from Smith, as shown by the fact that the next-closest receiver to Smith, Ricky Proehl, only had 441 receiving yards. Defenses were focusing all of their attention on Smith week in and week out, but it did not matter. He still became one of 15 receivers at the time to win the so-called "Triple Crown" for wide receivers.

Smith was part of the Panthers team that suffered a heartbreaking defeat to the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl in the 2003 season, but he managed to set a record in the first two games of that playoff run. In the Wild Card Round, the Panthers faced the New York Giants, with Smith contributing in a big way to the convincing 23-0 win. The receiver had 10 receptions on 11 targets for 84 yards and a score. 

The star receiver continued to destroy opposing defenses when the Panthers faced the Chicago Bears in the Divisional Round. Smith opened the game against one of the top defenses in the NFL with a 58-yard score in the first round en route to racking up 12 catches, 218 yards, and two scores. Aside from being a truly elite stat line, Smith's combined 23 receptions in a two-game stretch in the playoffs, a record at the time.

It was not enough for Smith to lead the league in all three major receiving categories in 2005. Throughout his Panthers career, he went on to lead the entire franchise in each category, too. In 13 years in Carolina, Smith had 836 catches, 12,197 yards, and a whopping 67 touchdowns. The next-closest receiver, Muhsin Muhammad, ended his Panthers career with nearly 3,000 fewer receiving yards, illustrating how important Smith was to the young franchise and how much of a legacy he built with his first pro team.

Part of Smith's legacy is his constant trash-talking. He consistently got into the heads of opposing defenders, leading to mental mistakes and penalties from them. However, most fans would be surprised to hear that Smith was ejected a grand total of one time during his 16-year NFL career.

Despite the fact that he was always in the middle of the action, most notably in matchups with big-name cornerbacks like Aqib Talib, Smith knew when to cut things out in order to avoid hurting his team. His ability to draw penalties and ejections while staying away from those himself made him an even bigger X-factor for the Panthers.

When it comes to the position of wide receiver, Smith has yet to be equalled by any in Carolina's history. Even when the Panthers returned to the Super Bowl at the end of the 2015 season, they did so without the benefit of an elite receiver. It is not an unfair argument to state that Smith is the only true number one receiver that the Panthers have had in their relatively short history. While he did go on to play for the Ravens, Smith will rightfully always be remembered as a Panther for his contributions to the team and culture.