His career almost ended before it really began. By the time it ended, it was legendary.
The story of the most successful wide receiver in the Jaguars' first three decades was one of overcoming adversity to become one of the NFL's best players at his position.
Jimmy Smith was just that in 1990s and early 2000s.
Smith, one of the most consistently productive receivers in NFL history, powered and sped his way into Jaguars history from 1995-2005. He was inducted into the Pride of the Jaguars in 2016, the fourth player so honored after three of his teammates: left tackle Tony Boselli, running back Fred Taylor and quarterback Mark Brunell.
"The best receiver I've been around," Brunell called Smith, adding, "It was an honor for me to be on the same field with him."
Smith – who along with the aforementioned threesome defined the Jaguars' first decade – remains as of 2024 the team's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.
Smith, who caught 862 passes for 12,287 yards and 69 touchdowns in 13 NFL seasons, had nine 1,000-yard receiving seasons and made five Pro Bowls from 1997-2001.
"If you were going to single cover Jimmy Smith, the ball was going to him," former Jaguars Head Coach Tom Coughlin said. "He was a difference maker. He was a humble athlete who was very respectful of the game, of his coaching staff and the opportunity."
He also was a key figure on the Jaguars teams that made four consecutive playoff appearances, won two AFC Central titles and appeared in two AFC Championship Games from 1996-1999.
"He really was instrumental in establishing that franchise," Brunell said of Smith.
Smith, a second-round selection from Jackson State by Dallas in the 1992 NFL Draft, played seven games in two seasons for the Cowboys. He was a strong, fast kid with talent, but played sparingly for a talented Cowboys team as a rookie.
He then nearly died from an infection following an emergency appendectomy in August 1993, and didn't play that season. The Cowboys released him in July 1994.
The Philadelphia Eagles released him the following month.
He spent 1994 out of the NFL, and signed with the expansion Jaguars on February 28, 1995, after his mother sent Coughlin a book of Smith's press clippings.
"If it wasn't for the strength of his mother and father and his wife, Sandra, I really don't know if he would have fought his way through the difficulties of making an expansion team," Coughlin said. "But he did. And to his credit, he just got better and better and better."
He led the team in kickoff returns in 1995. After beginning the 1996 season as the team's third receiver behind Keenan McCardell and Andre Rison, he moved into the starting lineup following Rison's November release and finished the season leading the AFC in receiving yards with 1,244.
Smith had more than 1,000 yards receiving in nine of 10 seasons from 1996-2005, had more than 1,200 yards receiving four times and had his best season in 1999 when he finished with a franchise-record 116 receptions for 1,636 yards.
"Jimmy might not have the national recognition of Jerry Rice at the wide receiver position, but every defensive back that played in the 1990s – and every defensive coach in the league – knows exactly who he is,” Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said upon Smith’s retirement. “He will go down in history as one of the best.” Deion Sanders
Smith followed that season for the ages with a game for the ages the following September when he caught 15 passes for 291 yards and three touchdowns in a 39-36 road loss to the Baltimore Ravens – a team that won that year's Super Bowl with one of the most dominant defensive in NFL history.
"Jimmy is clearly one of the best receivers to touch the field," former Ravens cornerback Chris McAlister said upon Smith's retirement. "He was one of the most consistent players in the NFL, with his great combination of speed and power and elite route running ability."
He not only was the best wide receiver in franchise history, he was a player many defensive backs of his era considered second only to Jerry Rice – now and then by far the best ever to play his position.
Hall of Fame wide receiver Marvin Harrison called Smith "the ultimate, point blank."
At the time of his retirement, Smith's receptions were seventh in NFL history and his receiving yards were 11th.
"Jimmy might not have the national recognition of Jerry Rice at the wide receiver position, but every defensive back that played in the 1990s – and every defensive coach in the league – knows exactly who he is," Hall of Fame cornerback Deion Sanders said upon Smith's retirement. "He will go down in history as one of the best."