Mike Smith (2006) - Hall of Fame

Mike Smith

Induction:
2006
Class:
1988

Little did Mike Smith know when he stepped onto the University of Northern Iowa campus in 1983 that he'd be part of a team that would usher in a new era of Panther football, but that's exactly what happened.

After leading Wakulla County High School to a pair of state championships in three years as quarterback of the Crawfordville, Fla., team, the 5-foot-10 Smith accepted a scholarship offer from UNI coach Darrell Mudra to head north and join the Panthers. Mudra, who was coach at Florida State from 1974 to 1975, spotted Smith as a seventh-grader playing pee wee football in the Tallahassee area and never forgot about him, offering him a chance to become the Panthers' signal caller. It was a move that would help put UNI on the Division I-AA football map.

After a redshirt season, Smith played the backup role in 1984 before getting the starting nod from Mudra in 1985, a year that would see both Smith and the Panthers blossom. Smith went on to earn Gateway Conference Offensive Player of the Year honors after throwing for 2,894 yards and 18 touchdowns and leading the Panthers an 11-2 record, their first Gateway title and the schoolÕs first I-AA playoff win. The latter came in a 17-14 victory over Eastern Washington in the UNI-Dome and propelled the Panthers to the national semifinals. Smith's numbers improved in 1986, when he threw for 3,125 yards and 27 touchdowns, both of which were school records. He was named Gateway player of the week four times that season and, by leading the nation in passing efficiency, earned honorable mention all-America status for the second of three consecutive years.

After being named second team all-Gateway in his first two years as a starter, Smith picked up first team all-conference honors in 1987, a season in which he racked up another 2,859 yards and threw for 23 scores. Smith also led the Panthers to another Gateway championship and back to the I-AA playoffs, where the Panthers defeated Arkansas State before falling in overtime, 44-41, to Northeast Louisiana in a semifinal game that saw Smith throw for 418 yards and an NCAA playoff record six touchdowns.

Smith, who posted a 28-9-1 record and threw for 9,067 yards and 68 TDs in his career, as of his induction still owned nearly every Panther postseason passing record. When he graduated, he held UNI records for career pass attempts, completions, yards, touchdowns and total offense at UNI, marks he held until they were eclipsed by Ryan Helming in 2000. At one time, he also owned the I-AA season record for yards per attempt, throwing for 10.3 yards per pass in 1986.

Upon graduation, Smith joined the Panthers' coaching staff and served as quarterbacks coach from 1989 to 1994 under head coach Terry Allen, helping guide the Panthers to five straight Gateway titles and playoff appearances. Smith also played two seasons of baseball and received a bachelor's degree in communications at UNI.