Alphonso Smith and Football

Alphonso Smith is probably best known as a pro football player, since he was drafted into the NFL by the Denver Broncos, who actually traded up to draft him. He spent four years in the league, playing for the Broncos and the Detroit Lions, and he had a number of great games. However, that was only part of his journey.

Ever since Alphonso Smith was a young boy in Pahokee, Florida, football has been his life. He played quarterback and defensive back at Pahokee High School, where he was part of a championship team and won several awards for his athletic ability. Following high school, Alphonso played football for prominent coach Jim Grobe at Wake Forest University in North Carolina from 2004–2008. There, he set a school record for interceptions and he continues to hold the Atlantic Coast Conference record for career interceptions at 21. He was honored as a first-team All-ACC player and he was also a second-team All-America honors from Walter Camp. He graduated from Wake Forest in 2008 with a Bachelor’s Degree in History.

Since the end of his NFL career, Alphonso spent some time as a sideline reporter and broadcaster with IMG in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, before being hired as an assistant coach for Carver High School in Winston Salem. Soon after that, however, he returned to Pahokee to be the head coach for his alma mater. In 2015, Smith led the Pahokee High Blue Devils to an 8–2 regular season record and a district title.