Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Jackie Smith

The 6-4, 235-pound tight end, was a fixture for 15 years with the St. Louis Cardinals from 1963 to 1977. He finished his career with the Dallas Cowboys in 1978. At the time of his retirement, he ranked as the all-time receiver among tight ends with 480 receptions for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns. - See more at: http://www.profootballhof.com/hof/member.aspx?PLAYER_ID=198#sthash.FPrR4PfP.dpuf

Sports and Torts: Bobby Joe Conrad

A 6\'0\", 194-lb. wide receiver from Texas A&M University, Conrad played in 12 NFL seasons from 1958 to 1969 with the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys. In 1963, Conrad led the NFL in receptions with 73 and the following year was selected as a Pro Bowler.

Sports and Torts: Hall of Famer Jim Kelly

A strong-armed passer with a \"linebacker\'s mentality,\" Kelly lived up to his advance billing, as he virtually rewrote the Bills\' record book for quarterbacks. Only three players in NFL history had reached the 30,000-yard career passing mark faster.

Jackie Smith

An outstanding football and track competitor at Northwest Louisiana, Smith joined the Cardinals in 1963. Smith was a talented receiver, a punishing blocker, a fierce competitor and an excellent runner after he caught the ball. He even handled the Cardinals\' punting chores his first three seasons.

Smith became the Cardinals\' starting tight end during his 1963 rookie season and remained a fixture at that spot the rest of his tenure in St. Louis. He gained 212 yards on nine receptions against the Pittsburgh Steelers that year.

The team\'s offensive co-captain, Smith had a string of 45 straight games from 1967 to 1970 with at least one reception. He played in 121 straight games, starting with his first NFL contest until a knee injury sidelined him in his ninth season in 1971.

Injuries slowed him again in 1975 and 1976 but Smith still played in 198 games. Smith played in five straight Pro Bowls, and was named All-NFL in 1967 and 1969. He had his single-season best performance in 1967 when he had 56 receptions for 1,205 yards and nine touchdowns.

After spending his entire career with the Cardinals, Smith signed with Dallas in 1978. Although the 38-year old Smith was used only as a blocking tight end in the goal line formation and did not catch a pass during the entire season, joining Dallas allowed him to make his only trip to the Super Bowl, which ended up leaving a mark on his career. With his team trailing the Pittsburgh Steelers 21-14 in the third quarter of Super Bowl XIII, Smith dropped a third down pass in the end zone from Roger Staubach. The Cowboys ended up losing the game by four points, 35-31, and Smith retired before the start of the next season.

During his career, he caught more than 40 passes seven times.

At the time of his retirement, Smith\'s 7,918 receiving yards were the most ever by an NFL tight end, and would remain so until surpassed by Ozzie Newsome\'s 7,980 yards in 1990.

ESPN ranked Smith\'s dropped pass in the end zone #24 on their list of \"100 Greatest Super Bowl Moments\".

On January 29, 1994, Smith was officially voted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio. In 2001, he was inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame.[

Learn More About Jackie at the Pro Football Hall of Fame Website

Bobby Joe Conrad

Bobby Joe Conrad started his football career along the banks of the Bosque River in Clifton, Texas. An all-state quarterback, he guided the Cubs to district championships in 1952 and 1953. His senior season Conrad scored 207 points and led Clifton to the state semi-finals where they lost to eventual state champion Ranger. He played football Texas A&M from 1955-57 under legendary coach Paul �Bear� Bryant. Conrad played quarterback, halfback, fullback and end for the Aggies and was a member of the school�s 1956 SWC Championship team. In the 1958 College All-Star Game he kicked four field goals and intercepted a pass in a 35-19 upset of the 1957 NFL Champion Detroit Lions. The versatile Conrad played FL, HB, WR, DB for the Chicago/St. Louis Cardinals from 1958-1968 and the Dallas Cowboys in 1969. Conrad was moved to flanker in 1962 and the next season made All-NFL when he led league with 73 catches. He came within a game of breaking the NFL record for consecutive games with a reception when he had a string of 93 from 1961 to 1968. The 6�2�, 195 lb. Conrad was also selected to play in the 1965 Pro Bowl. He finished his career as the Cardinals all-time reception leader and had 422 catches for 5,902 yards and 38 touchdowns. He was inducted into the Texas Sports Hall of Fame in 2002.