Terry Smith (football)

Terry Michael Smith (born May 1959) is an American-born American football player, sports coach and businessman. After starting his playing career as a defensive back for American football franchise New England Patriots, Smith went on to coach the Manchester Spartans American Football Team, the Great Britain National Team for American Football, and the Great Britain Spartans American football team. He later spent two years as owner and general manager of English soccer club Chester City from 1999 to 2001, and served as manager following the resignation of Kevin Ratcliffe in 1999.

Smith started his professional American football playing career in the early 1980s, as a defensive back with the New England Patriots. However, he injured his knee in a game against the Philadelphia Eagles, and was placed on the injured reserve list. After coaching in various U.S. Colleges, Smith went to Great Britain because he was signed as the Player/Head Coach of the Spartans,and due to his success there which included turning around a 2-10 team into a 14-0 undefeated team his first season, then he was chosen by the Great Britain National Governing Body as the Head Coach of the Great Britain National Team. Smith set many playing records including setting the League and National record for pass interceptions in a season, and setting the League and National record for pass receptions in a game. He had several 1,000 yard pass receiving seasons, and he was named to the All-European Team on several occasions. As a Head Coach he won two National Championships and two European Championships, one European Championship with the Manchester Spartans, and one European Championship with the Great Britain National Team. These were the first two European Championships in British American Football history.

He is the only coach in European history to have won both of these European Championships. He won more than 100 games in total as a Head Coach, while losing only 15, and he was selected as the National Coach of the Year three times, and as the European Coach of the Year twice. Smith was selected to the Great Britain American Football Hall of Fame in 2004, and to the U.S. Minor Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1995. Smith turned his attention to soccer. He bought financially struggling Chester City Football Club in July 1999, and declared his belief that the club could reach Division One (now the Football League Championship) within three years. The Club was in Administration when he took over, and close to folding with more than 1 Million British Pounds in debt and almost all the veteran players already sold to other clubs to keep from going out of business. He was credited with rescuing Chester from the brink of bankruptcy by supporters at the time, and announced an intention to appoint three supporters to the board, which he did.

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