American football player (born 1968)
American football player
Stanley Adam Smagala (born April 6, 1968) is a former American football safety in the National Football League (NFL) for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers . He played college football at the University of Notre Dame .
Early years
Smagala grew up in Chicago, Illinois , and attended St. Laurence High School , where he practiced football, wrestling and track . The summer before his senior year, he attended a football camp held by the University of Notre Dame , where he tied the camp record for the fastest 40-yard dash .
As a senior running back , he posted 140 carries for 900 rushing yards and received All-city honors. He also rushed for 300 yards and three touchdowns in a playoff game.
College career
Smagala accepted a football scholarship from the University of Notre Dame . Although he had never played the position before, he was converted into a cornerback because he was considered small for a running back .
Even though head coach Lou Holtz tried to convince him to transfer to another school, as a sophomore he was the team's second fastest player (4.35 seconds in the 40-yard dash) behind wide receiver Tim Brown and became a three-year starter at right cornerback .[ 1] As a junior, he was paired at cornerback with Todd Lyght .
Because the school played one of the toughest schedules in the nation, he covered some of the best college wide receivers like Andre Rison , Michael Irvin , Brian Blades , Brett Perriman , Reggie Rembert and Greg McMurtry .
His most famous play was a 64-yard interception return for a touchdown against the number 2 ranked University of Southern California in 1988.[ 2] He also helped the team win a national championship and achieve a school-record 23-game winning streak.
Professional career
Los Angeles Raiders
Smagala was selected by the Los Angeles Raiders in the fifth round (123rd overall) of the 1990 NFL draft ,[ 3] but was immediately traded to the Dallas Cowboys in exchange for a sixth round (#158-James Williams ), eighth round (#197-Arthur Jimerson ), ninth round (#230-Leon Perry ), tenth round (#259-Jim Szymanski ) and an eleventh round (#304-Myron Jones) draft choice.[ 4]
Dallas Cowboys
On September 23, 1990 , he suffered a broken left forearm while helping force a fumble against the Washington Redskins and was placed on the injured reserve list .[ 5] In that game, he also saw action at strong safety . He finished the season with 2 special teams tackles and one quarterback pressure.
He was waived on August 26, 1991 . On October 17, he was re-signed to replace first-year player Donald Smith .[ 6] [ 7] He appeared in 8 games, playing mainly on special teams and making 8 tackles.
Pittsburgh Steelers
On April 2, 1992 , the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Smagala as a Plan B free agent .[ 8] He was placed on the injured reserve list with a knee injury on September 1.[ 9] He was released on August 22, 1993 .[ 10]
Personal life
After football, he worked for a Real Estate Development company.
References
^ "And Then There Were 3: How An Irish Recruiting Bonanza Nearly" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Notre Dame Delivers Its 1-2 Punch : USC Turns Contest Into a Bobble for No. 1 Rather Than Classic" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "1990 NFL Draft Listing" . Pro-Football-Reference.com . Retrieved May 25, 2023 .
^ "The NFL Draft : Round By Round" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "With passes, penalty flags, Redskins drop everything but game to Cowboys" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Transactions" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Cowboys Release Dixon" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Steelers Sign 3" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Transactions" . Los Angeles Times . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
^ "Smagala, Didio Among 9 Steelers Cuts" . Retrieved March 30, 2018 .
External links