Steve Smith is the latest ex-Raider known to be facing tough times after football. The former fullback was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) less than three years ago and needs a wheelchair. I found myself shocked at this turn of events. Steve Smith #35 was a player who I always remembered leading the way for Roger Craig, Marcus Allen, Eric Dickerson, Bo Jackson among others. He was a great player and a great teammate according to the former Raiders who played with him. Smith came to the Raiders in 1987 during the strike season. Smith was a superb blocker on both run and pass plays and had soft hands out of the backfield. During his Raider career he caught 11 touchdowns and over 100 career receptions. Amazingly he also rushed for over 1,000 career yards as a Raiders despite playing primarily as a blocker for all-star running backs.
One of Smiths greatest games occurred in 1988 on Monday Night Football against the Denver. The Broncos led 24-0 and were burying the Oakland Raiders. They had outgained the Raiders 254-39 in the first half and appeared to have the game well in hand, but the Los Angeles defense turned things around early in the third quarter. Eddie Anderson picked off an errant Elway pass and returned it to the Denver 40. On the next play, Schroeder rolled right after a play-action fake and found fullback Steve Smith, who took it the distance. That combination clicked again on their next possession, as Smith took another play-action pass 42 yards for a touchdown. Momentum clearly shifted the Raiders way when, stymied at his own 1, Schroeder hit Mervyn Fernandez with a 48-yard pass to get them out of a deep hole. Along with his two touchdowns Smith made a key block later in the game as running back Marcus Allen plowed over the goal line for the touchdown. The Raiders won the game spearheaded by Smith.
| Year | Games | Rush | Yards | TD | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD |
| 1987 | 7 | 5 | 18 | 0 | 3 | 46 | 15.3 | 0 |
| 1988 | 16 | 38 | 162 | 0 | 26 | 299 | 11.5 | 6 |
| 1989 | 16 | 117 | 471 | 0 | 19 | 140 | 7.4 | 0 |
| 1990 | 16 | 81 | 327 | 0 | 4 | 30 | 7.5 | 3 |
| 1991 | 16 | 62 | 265 | 0 | 15 | 130 | 8.7 | 1 |
| 1992 | 16 | 44 | 129 | 0 | 28 | 217 | 7.8 | 1 |
| 1993 | 16 | 47 | 156 | 0 | 18 | 187 | 10.4 | 0 |
| Career | 103 | 394 | 1528 | 0 | 113 | 1049 | 9.2 | 11 |
Other Stats
Smith played in 3 playoff games rushing 12 times for 43 yards and catching 2 passes for 19 yards and 0 touchdowns
This page is dedicated to Steve Smith, thanx bud and good luck