Born in Breckenridge, Texas, Smith won the Amateur Athletic Union championships in 100 m in 1952. At the HelsinkiOlympics, he was fourth in the 100 m and ran the leadoff leg for the American gold medal-winning 4 × 100 m relay team.[1] As a sprinter on the Longhorn track team, Smith ran a 100-yard dash in 9.4 seconds, one-tenth of a second off the world record at the time.[3]
Later on, Smith competed in amateur rodeo. His events were bareback bronc riding and calf roping. He won championships in both events.[5] The Professional Rodeo Cowboys Associations made him an honorary member.[4] He also participated in the team roping event in Reba McEntire's Pro Celebrity Rodeo in May 1997.[6]
Some of what Variety called his "most impressive" stunts included falling out of a two-story building into a hay wagon in McLintock! (1963) starring Maureen O'Hara.[4] Smith was noticed by famed director John Ford when working on the 1958 Rosalind Russell project, Auntie Mame, and as a result went on to be featured in many of Ford's subsequent films.[4]
Honors
In 2006 he was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame.[8] In 2009 he was inducted into the National Multicultural Western Heritage Museum and Hall of Fame.[9] He is also a member of the Texas Track and Field Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Smith is a member of the Hollywood Stuntman's Hall of Fame.[10] In 1997 he was named "All American Cowboy", and in 1998 he received a Golden Boot Award.[11] In 2007 he received the Silver Spur award for his contributions as a stuntman in the film business.[12]
Personal life
Smith died on June 24, 2023, at age 91.[7][13][14]