Lovie Smith Biography
Lovie Smith (Full name- Lovie Lee Smith) is an American football coach who was born on May 8, 1958, Gladewater, Texas. He is the head football coach at the University of Illinois. He was previously the head coach of the Chicago Bears of the National Football League (NFL) from 2004 to 2012, and the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2014 to 2015. Smith has been to the Super Bowl twice, as the defensive coordinator for the St. Louis Rams and as the head coach for the Bears in 2006.
Lovie Smith Wife | Family
Lovie Smith is married to MaryAnne since 1980. The couple has three sons; Miles, Matthew and Mikal Smith. Smith’s mother is blind as a result of diabetes. Lovie Smith is an active supporter of the American Diabetes Association.
Lovie Smith Salary | Net Worth
American professional football coach Lovie Smith has an annual salary of $5 million and an estimated net worth of $10 million. He was born in Gladewater, Texas in May 1958. Smith earned all-state honors as a defensive end and linebacker in high school with his team winning three consecutive state champions from 1973 to 1975.
Lovie Smith Contract | Illinois
Smith was named head coach for the University of Illinois on March 7, 2016, agreeing to a contract paying $21 million over six years. The hiring of Smith caused a roar of excitement in the university community. After five years without a winning record, and after two predecessors who had no previous experience on the national stage, the acquisition of a leader who had taken a professional football team to the Super Bowl invigorated the university’s football fans.
Ticket sales, which following the team’s 2008 Rose Bowl Game appearance had averaged more than 61,000 per game (current stadium capacity is 60,670), had plummeted to the point where only about 7,000 people actually showed up at the stadium for Tim Beckman’s final home game as head coach in 2014, and pictures of the empty stands were being posted on social media by game attendees.
In spite of personal appeals and campus walkabouts by then-head coach Bill Cubit in the 2015 season, the stands averaged only about two-thirds full for the season. The university sold over 2000 new season tickets and more than 400 new student season tickets in the 48 hours following the announcement of the Smith hire.
When Smith’s contract was approved by the university’s Board of Trustees at their September 2016 meeting, $2 million of the salary was moved from the last two years of the contract and made payable in earlier years. In addition, the contract provided for up to $8 million in performance bonuses.
Lovie Smith Bears
Smith was hired as head coach in 2004 by the Chicago Bears following the dismissal of Dick Jauron. Smith, upon arriving in Chicago, stated that he had three goals: to beat the Green Bay Packers; to win the NFC North; and win a Super Bowl. He struggled during his first season with the Bears, as the installation of new offensive and defensive systems and a series of injuries, including a season-ending knee injury to starting quarterback Rex Grossman, contributed to a 5–11 record. Kyle Orton was Grossman’s backup. The Bears’ defense saw some major improvement, rising from 22nd in 2003 to 13th in 2004 despite their poor offense.
In the 2005 season, Smith earned national recognition owing to the Bears’ dramatic turn around. He won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award that year. The Bears played the Carolina Panthers, with a fully healed Rex Grossman as quarterback after returning to the field following their first round bye. Both the Bears’ offense and defense struggled to keep up with the Panthers, and eventually lost, 29–21.
The Bears started the 2012 season on a promising note with a 7–1 record. The team’s defense ranked first in takeaways, third in points allowed, and fifth in yard allowed. The team, however, lost five of their next eight games. The Bears finished the season with a 10–6 record, but missed the playoffs for the fifth time in six years. Smith was fired as head coach of the Chicago Bears on December 31, 2012. Smith departed the Bears with nine years of service, three playoff appearances, one Coach of the Year award, and one Super Bowl appearance.
Lovie Smith Tampa Bay
Smith was interviewed by the Houston Texans on December 16, 2013, for the head coach job. Lovie Smith was also reported to be the first interview for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Detroit Lions.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports on January 1, 2014, reported that Smith would be the head coach of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, replacing Greg Schiano. This was confirmed the next day by the team. Smith had signed a five-year contract with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
On Monday, January 7, 2014, Lovie Smith was formally introduced as the 10th head coach in franchise history. Smith, while talking about his first stint with the Bucs, he said: “We did lay a foundation for Tampa Bay Buccaneer football, there’s a certain brand of football that you expected from us. That would be relentless, you play hard, physical, but there was a brand of football that you did get from us each week at Raymond James Stadium. It was hard for opponents to come in and win.”
Smith was fired by the Buccaneers in the 2015 season after posting a record of 8-24 in his two years, including a 6–10 record.
Lovie Smith Age
Lovie Smith was born on May 8, 1958, Gladewater, Texas. He is the current head football coach at the University of Illinois. Smith is 61 years old as of 2019.
Lovie Smith High School
Lovie Smith earned all-state honors for three years as a defensive end and linebacker during his high school career at Big Sandy. From 1973 to 1975, his team won three consecutive state championships including a 0–0 tie in 1974 versus G. A. Moore’s Celina. Big Sandy had one of the most dominant seasons in high school football history in 1975. Their defense allowed only 15 points (11 shutouts) all season, while the offense, featuring eventual Miami Dolphins running back David Overstreet, scored a then-national record 824 points.