Omarr Smith Relishes in Hall of Fame Induction

July 31,2015
By ANDY SROKA
As we ready ourselves for the imminent announcement of the 2015 Arena Football Hall of Fame inductees, we’re talking to some former pros who have already been on this ride.
On rivalry day, when the Rattlers and the SaberCats meet, there isn’t a better time to speak with 2014 HOF inductee and San Jose’s assistant head coach, Omarr Smith.
Smith etched his name into the AFL’s record books as a defensive back. A defensive back who won a whole lot. Smith won four ArenaBowls as a player, three with the SaberCats and one with the Tampa Bay Storm. It’s been an incredible journey for him that ended with his retired jersey in the rafters of the SAP Center while he roams the sidelines of the same team he dedicated most of his playing career to.
But this stellar career almost didn’t happen.
With pro football aspirations following a productive four years at San Jose State University, Smith didn’t field any calls from the NFL. He did, however, snag a two-day invite form the SaberCats to work out with the team.
“I can compete with these guys,” Smith said after his first practice and introduction to Arena Football.
He admitted that he needed time to adjust to the size of the field, return angles, speed of the game and just covering opposition running at full speed. He posted quality numbers across the board in his rookie season in 2000, but in his first full season the following year, he was named San Jose’s defensive MVP. The SaberCats were the League’s best team in 2002 and Smith helped San Jose to its first-ever ArenaBowl victory and earned Ironman honors in the win.
After that, Smith moved on to the Tampa Bay Storm to play ball under Hall of Fame head coach, the late Tim Marcum. Already an established talent, the change in scenery was a turning point in Smith’s career.
While Marcum instilled an old-school approach to the game, his way or the highway, he saw the way Smith played and the success he was having, so he just let him play.
“It took a lot to earn his trust,” Smith said. “That was awesome for me. Whatever I’m doing, it must be pretty good.”
The legendary Marcum handed Smith the keys to a revved Storm defense, one that marched all the way to an ArenaBowl win, Smith’s second straight and Marcum’s seventh and final time lifting the trophy. Smith ventured back to San Jose after a year away from the team with restored confidence in his game.
“It was refreshing to return in 2004,” Smith said. “I showed the League I was an impact player with the organization.”
And, once again, Smith spurred the defense he captained to new heights and the SaberCats won their second ArenaBowl in three seasons, while Smith captured his third consecutive. The third time was the sweetest, according to Smith. When SaberCats stud Clevan Thomas was forced to miss most of the season injured, Smith was once again tasked with the responsibility to step up and reinvigorate a defense on a team with postseason aspirations. Smith said he shouldered the load and led the team by example and was proud of himself for that, it’s why he remembers that trophy most fondly.
Unsurprisingly, Smith helped San Jose retain the trophy in 2004 and win once more in 2007. He retired from the game after the 2008 season and called it a playing career, but it didn’t take long for the cerebral defensive back to stick to the sidelines in a coaching position.
He fit right in.
After a season as the defensive backs coach with the af2’s Arkansas Twisters in 2009, Smith joined the staff of Rattlers head coach Kevin Guy. Smith expressed nothing but respect for Guy and the Arizona organization. As the team’s defensive coordinator, he helped the Rattlers to ArenaBowl championships in 2012 and 2013.
“I learned a lot of information about coaching and life from Kevin Guy. Winning as a coach is totally different than winning as a player. The wins are greater and the losses are more devastating. You have to manage everyone and deal with it all. You’re accountable for everyone.”
Smith is the type of person that devotes all of his energy to the colors of the team he played for or coaches. Despite SaberCats pride running through his blood stream, when he was a Rattler, he was a Rattler. The lessons learned from Coach Guy were invaluable and helped him become the assistant head coach on Darren Arbet’s staff back in San Jose, back home, where he won so much and so often.
“It’s ridiculous,” Smith said. “It’s an unbelievable accomplishment. Coaching the team I played for? I’m unbelievably honored. It was a special moment.”
And now he gets to pass Hall of Fame experience to the players he coaches, in pole position to claim home field advantage throughout the 2015 playoffs.
“If you’re prepared mentally, that’s the biggest thing.”
That’s what he teaches his guys. It’s how he played. He thought of himself as a thinking man’s defensive back. He classifies defensive backs into two categories: the don’t-throw-it-this-way types and then there’s Smith and his type of defensive back, pass it this way at your own risk. That’s how he played and that’s how one of the best secondary units in Arena Football plays.
And from the sidelines, he’s also hoping he can watch friend and former teammate, quarterback Mark Grieb, get the nod as a first-ballot Hall of Famer – an honor he’s widely expected to receive next month.
“Mark is a first-ballot Hall of Famer,” Smith said. “I’m honored to have been his teammate. I respect him as a teammate and as a man. A lot of my own success came from him. I got his bird’s-eye view. We broke down film together.”
They won together, too. Smith has come a long way since being offered a two-day tryout with the SaberCats 15 years ago. We’re ready to usher in a new class of legends into the Arena Football Hall of Fame, but let’s take a final moment to honor one of the best from last year’s class, Omarr Smith.