FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Arkansas football legend Billy Ray Smith Jr. died Wednesday at age 64.
Smith signed with Arkansas after a stellar high school career in Plano, Texas. He was a freshman starter at defensive tackle for the Arkansas Southwest Conference championship team in 1979, which finished the season with a 10-2 record.
Smith was named All-Southwest Conference in his final three seasons and earned All-American honors in 1981 and 1982. He was drafted by the San Diego Chargers and played his entire professional career with the team, earning All-Pro selections in 1986 and 1987 as a linebacker.
He remained in the San Diego area, where his wife is a news anchor.
Smith was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1995, the University of Arkansas Sports Hall of Honor in 1997, and the Southwest Conference Hall of Fame in 2015.
A cause of death has not been disclosed.
Smith was the son of Billy Ray Smith Sr., who also played at Arkansas. The elder Smith was a native of Augusta in Woodruff County.
