Musa Smith
| New York Jets | |||||||
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| Career information | |||||||
| College: | Georgia | ||||||
| NFL draft: | 2003 / Round: 3 / Pick: 77 | ||||||
| Career history | |||||||
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| Roster status: | Active | ||||||
| Career NFL statistics as of Week 17, 2007 | |||||||
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Musa Smith (Template:PronEng) (born May 31, 1982 in Elliottsburg, Pennsylvania) is an American football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League. He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the third round of the 2003 NFL Draft. He played college football at Georgia.
Early years
Smith attended West Perry High School in rural Perry County, Pennsylvania, and was a USA Today Honorable Mention All-USA selection in football.
College career
Musa Smith rushed for 2,202 yards and 19 touchdowns on 454 carries (4.9 yards per carry) during his 3 year career at Georgia. This included a spectacular junior campaign in 2002, when he rushed for 1,324 yards and 8 touchdowns on 261 carries (5.1 yards per carry), becoming the first Georgia running back to pass 1,000-yards in a season since Garrison Hearst in 1992.
Smith played a starring role in Georgia's 2003 Sugar Bowl victory over Florida State on January 1, 2003, carrying the ball 23 times for 145 yards in Georgia's 26-13 win.
Professional career
Baltimore Ravens
Smith was drafted with the 13th pick of the 3rd round (77th overall) in the 2003 NFL Draft. He has played sparingly during his time in the NFL, but during a Week 11 game with the Dallas Cowboys in 2004, Smith suffered a compound fracture of his right tibia while being horse-collar tackled from behind by safety Roy Williams. The injury basically put Smith out of action for two seasons (he played only one game in 2005) and led to the NFL banning the tackle.
In the 2006 Ravens training camp, Smith outplayed Mike Anderson in the battle for the backup running back job behind Jamal Lewis. In three preseason games in 2006, Smith was tied for the NFL lead with LaMont Jordan with 123 rushing yards on 13 carries (7.9 yards per carry).
In total, Smith has rushed for 262 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries (4.2 yards per carry) in 34 regular season appearances with the Baltimore Ravens, he has also caught 28 passes for 180 yards as of the end of the 2006 season.
He was the backup to Willis McGahee and had an increased role in 2007 as in past years he mainly played on special teams.2007 season.
New York Jets
On May 27, 2008, Smith was signed by the New York Jets.[1]
Measurables
- 4.45 40 yard dash
- 38 1/2 Inch Vertical
Personal
His name translates to "ruler" or "king" in Swahili.
Smith married Lacey Gardner on July 15, 2004. They had a daughter named Jayda Coral Smith on January 7, 2008.
Smith has a brother Taalib that is a personal trainer at the Big Vanilla Health Club in Arnold, Maryland.[3]
Smith's brother, Ibrahim plays running back at Lock Haven University.