Running back Charlie Smith was a homegrown Oakland Raider.
The 6-foot, 205-pound Smith was a football and track star at Castlemont High School in Oakland before going to the University of Utah.
The Raiders selected Smith in the fourth round (No. 110 overall) of the 1968 NFL Draft and he basically replaced dual-threat running back Clem Daniels, whose career was cut short by a knee injury sustained in 1967.
Smith, the 11th-leading rusher in Raiders history, played in 91 games for Oakland and carried the ball 858 times for 3,351 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also caught 141 passes for 1,596 yards and 10 TDs and returned 22 kickoffs for 437 yards.
But he is remembered most for his role in the famed “Heidi Game” against the New York Jets at the Oakland Coliseum on Nov. 17, 1968.
