Jackie Smith
A prototype for the modern tight end whose Hall of Fame career is often overshadowed by one infamous dropped pass.
Born 1940 (age 86)·American football player·Birthday: February 23·The Silent Generation
Biography
Jackie Smith emerged from Northwestern State as a raw talent and spent 15 seasons redefining what a tight end could be. With the St. Louis Cardinals, he was not just a blocker but a primary receiving threat, a rarity in the 1960s. His speed and reliable hands made him a favorite target, and he helped lead the Cardinals to their only division title during his tenure. Smith's numbers—480 catches for nearly 8,000 yards—were staggering for his era and earned him a gold jacket in Canton. Yet, for many, his career is defined by a single moment in Super Bowl XIII with the Dallas Cowboys: a critical drop in the end zone. That unfair epitaph obscises a revolutionary player whose excellence paved the way for the pass-catching tight ends of today.
The Silent Generation
1928–1945
Born between the Depression and the end of WWII. Too young to fight, old enough to remember. They became the conformist middle managers of the 1950s — and the civil rights leaders who quietly dismantled Jim Crow.
Jackie was born in 1940, placing them squarely in The Silent Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Jackie Was Born
The biggest hits of 1940
#1 Movie
Fantasia
Best Picture
Rebecca
Jackie's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1940Born
The Blitz: Germany bombs London
Gas: $0.18/galHome: $2,938Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I'll Never Smile Again" — Tommy DorseyBest Picture: Rebecca
1945Started school
WWII ends; atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $4,600Min wage: $0.40/hrPresident: Harry S. Truman"Sentimental Journey" — Les Brown & Doris DayBest Picture: The Lost Weekend
1953Became a teenager
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1956Could drive
Elvis Presley appears on The Ed Sullivan Show
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $10,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Heartbreak Hotel" — Elvis PresleyBest Picture: Around the World in 80 Days
1958Could vote
NASA founded
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $11,050Min wage: $1.00/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Volare" — Domenico ModugnoBest Picture: Gigi
1961Turned 21
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
1970Turned 30
First Earth Day; The Beatles break up
Gas: $0.36/galHome: $17,000Min wage: $1.60/hrPresident: Richard Nixon"Bridge over Troubled Water" — Simon & GarfunkelBest Picture: Patton
1980Turned 40
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1990Turned 50
Hubble Space Telescope launched; Germany reunifies
Gas: $1.15/galHome: $79,100Min wage: $3.80/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"Hold On" — Wilson PhillipsBest Picture: Dances with Wolves
2000Turned 60
Y2K passes without incident; contested Bush-Gore election
Gas: $1.51/galHome: $119,600Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Breathe" — Faith HillBest Picture: Gladiator
2010Turned 70
Deepwater Horizon oil spill; iPad launched
Gas: $2.79/galHome: $147,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Tik Tok" — KeshaBest Picture: The King's Speech
2020Turned 80
COVID-19 pandemic shuts down the world
Gas: $2.17/galHome: $248,800Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Blinding Lights" — The WeekndBest Picture: Nomadland
2026Age 86 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
- Selected to five Pro Bowls (1967, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1975).
- Recorded 480 receptions for 7,918 yards and 40 touchdowns over his 16-year NFL career.
- His 7,918 receiving yards were the most ever by a tight end at the time of his retirement.
Did You Know?
He was drafted in the 10th round of the 1963 NFL Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals.
He played in 210 career games, spending all but his final season with the Cardinals.
He caught a pass in 121 consecutive games from 1964 to 1973, a record for tight ends at the time.
“My job was to catch the ball and hold onto it.”
