Steve Smith ( wide receiver , born 1979 ) Stevonne Latrall Smith ( born May 12 , 1979 ) is an American football wide receiver for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League ( NFL ) . After playing college football for the University of Utah , he was chosen by the Panthers as a third round pick in the 2001 NFL Draft . Smith , a five - time Pro Bowl selection and three - time All - Pro selection , has emerged as one of the NFL ' s most productive wide receivers , leading the league in catches , receiving yards , and touchdown s in 2005 . He is the Panthers ' all - time leader in total touchdowns ( 67 ) receptions ( 727 ) , and receiving yards ( 10 , 749 ) . In 2011 , he became the 35th player in NFL history to amass 10 , 000 receiving yards . High school career . Smith attended University High School in West Los Angeles , California , and was a letterman in football and track & field . In football , he played running back and defensive back , and was an All - Metro League selection as well as an All - California Interscholastic Federation selection . In track & field , he set a handful of school records , was named as an All - City selection as a high - hurdler , and also excelled in the triple jump and 300m hurdles . Steve Smith graduated from University High School in 1997 . College career . After graduating from high school , Smith attended Santa Monica College . While playing for the college ’ s football team , Smith quickly defined himself as a talented football player , and earned a starting position . During this time , Smith was teammates with future NFL wide receiver Chad Johnson , bemusing fans of the small college ' s team with their unexpected talents . While impressing spectators with his performance on the football field , Santa Monica ’ s head coach , Robert Taylor , encouraged Smith to not play for riches or fame , but to play so that he might earn a scholarship to a Division - I school , where he could receive a better education . He also advised Smith and OchoCinco to not do touchdown celebration s and as Smith said , " they put the cuffs on us . " Smith took Taylor ’ s advice to heart , and excelled in his academics , not missing a single day of classes while attending Santa Monica . After completing two years at Santa Monica College , Smith transferred to the University of Utah , where he established himself as a standout wideout in the Mountain West Conference where he was a teammate of running back Mike Anderson . While at the University of Utah , Smith set the record for yards per catch with a 20 . 6 average , and was chosen to play for the conference ’ s all - star team twice . However he missed their bowl game in his final season due to injury . After the Blue - Gray All - Star game on December 25 , 2000 , Smith began to receive attention from various NFL scouts . He and his wife have endowed an athletics scholarship at the University of Utah . Professional career . 2001 NFL Draft . The Carolina Panthers chose Smith in the third round ( 74th Overall ) during the 2001 NFL Draft . Carolina Panthers ( 2001 – present ) . 2001 season . Smith spent a majority of his rookie season as a kick and punt returner , leading all rookies in net yardage with 1 , 994 yards , and landing in fourth place among all NFL players behind Priest Holmes , Marshall Faulk , and Derrick Mason . In his first play as a professional , Smith returned the opening kickoff of the first game of the season for a touchdown . Smith also had 10 catches for 154 yards , and rushed 4 times for 43 yards . Smith ’ s performance was rewarded with an invite to the 2002 Pro Bowl , allowing him to join Wesley Walls and Todd Sauerbrun as the only players to represent the Panthers in the 2002 Pro Bowl . 2002 season . During the 2002 NFL season , Smith earned a starting position as a wide receiver and continued to carry out his kickoff and punt return duties . On November 10 , 2002 , Smith was involved with an altercation with his teammate Anthony Bright during a film - room meeting . The altercation left Bright with a broken nose and he was hospitalized for two nights . Steve Smith has been in a few on - the - field squabbles over his career and was involved in one other , high profile , altercation in the team ' s film - room in 2002 . Smith was suspended after that incident , which left former Panther , Anthony Bright , with a fractured orbital lobe . Smith was arrested and briefly jailed on charges of misdemeanor assault , and the Panthers suspended him for one game . Smith finished the year with 54 receptions for 872 yards and 3 touchdowns . 2003 season and Super Bowl XXXVIII . During the 2003 season , Smith played a critical role for the Panther offense . He finished the regular season with 88 receptions for 1 , 110 yards and 7 touchdowns . During the NFC divisional playoffs , Smith caught a 69 yard pass and ran it for a touchdown in the 2nd overtime period to defeat the St . Louis Rams 29 - 23 . In Super Bowl XXXVIII , he caught 4 passes for 80 yards and a touchdown , and returned a kickoff for 30 yards in the Panthers 32 - 29 loss to the New England Patriots . 2004 season and injury . Smith suffered a severe break in his leg during the 2004 NFL season opener against the Green Bay Packers , and was out for the remainder of the year . Before the injury , he managed to record 6 catches for 60 yards , and even attempted a pass which fell incomplete . 2005 season and comeback . In 2005 NFL season , Smith recovered from his injury to earn the " Triple Crown " of receiving , leading the NFL with 1 , 563 receiving yards , 103 receptions , and 12 touchdowns . He arguably became the best receiver in the game . Smith also returned 27 punts for 286 yards . His 10 . 6 yards / return was the second highest of his career . Smith dominated the first two rounds of the 2005 post season . In a wild card victory over the New York Giants , Smith caught 10 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown , and rushed for 12 yards and another score . The Panthers then defeated the Chicago Bears in the divisional round , aided by Smith ' s franchise record 12 receptions for 218 yards and 2 touchdowns . Smith and the Panthers then faced the Seattle Seahawks in the NFC Championship . Although he scored on a 59 yard punt return , Smith was held to 33 receiving yards on 5 catches , and the Panthers lost by a score of 34 - 14 . Smith , along with teammates Jake Delhomme , Julius Peppers , and Mike Wahle were invited to the 2006 Pro Bowl after the season . Smith also shared the 2005 NFL Comeback Player of the Year Award with New England Patriots ’ s linebacker Tedy Bruschi . 2006 Season . After suffering a hamstring injury and developing an ingrown toenail in training camp before the 2006 season , Smith returned to the field after missing two weeks of action . Steve was double covered frequently but still managed to battle through that and injuries to finish the year with 83 catches for 1 , 186 yards and 8 touchdowns . He was also invited to the 2007 Pro Bowl , his second Pro Bowl in a row and third overall . 2007 Season . Smith started 15 games for the Panthers during the 2007 Carolina Panthers season , and led Carolina with 87 catches , 1 , 002 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns despite playing with four different starting quarterbacks due to injury to starting quarterback Jake Delhomme . 2008 Season . Smith made headlines during the 2008 training camp when he was involved in an altercation with teammate Ken Lucas on August 1 , 2008 . Smith broke Lucas ' nose during the fight and was later sent home for the remainder of the day after reportedly apologizing . Smith was given a two game suspension by the team . Smith then suffered a severe concussion during the 2008 preseason opener against the Indianapolis Colts , where Smith was hit in the head when catching a pass . He continued to play that game , but did not travel with the team to their next game against the Philadelphia Eagles . After returning from suspension and scoring his first touchdown of the 2008 season , Smith presented the ball to Lucas on the sideline . Despite his 2 - game suspension , Smith was voted to play in the 2009 Pro Bowl after he managed to catch 78 passes for 1 , 421 receiving yards and 6 touchdowns , leading the NFL in receiving yards per game . 2009 Season . During Week 16 of the 2009 NFL Season , Smith broke his left forearm on a touchdown catch in a game against the New York Giants causing him to sit out the final game of the year . Smith finished the year with 982 yards on 65 receptions and 7 touchdowns , just 18 yards shy of a 5th straight 1 , 000 yard receiving season . On January 1 , 2010 , Smith was placed on injured reserve following the injury , and on June 19 , 2010 Smith broke his arm again while playing flag football . 2010 Season . 2010 was Smith ' s worst season as a starter since 2002 . Although he led the team in both receptions and receiving yards , he only managed 46 catches for 554 yards . In addition , he only caught two touchdown passes , 1 fewer than rookie David Gettis . Smith ' s low numbers were due to the total lack of team offense behind rookie quarterback Jimmy Clausen . The Panthers finished last in most offensive categories and with a 2 - 14 record , which was the worst in the 2010 season , securing the 1st overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft . Smith ' s dissatisfaction led to widespread rumors amongst the Panther ' s fan base that the star receiver wanted to be traded from the team for the 2011 season . 2011 Season . Smith opened up the 2011 season strong , gaining 178 yards and 2 touchdowns on 8 catches , including a 77 - yard reception for a touchdown . Smith followed his week 1 performance with another 150 - yard receiving game , but had a fumble during the game as well . On November 27 , 2011 Smith surpassed the 1000 - yard receiving mark . During Week 14 he became the 35th player in NFL history to reach the 10 , 000 - yard receiving mark after a 125 yard performance against Atlanta . Smith reached a total of 1394 yards on 79 catches , and was one catch away from reaching the 700 rec mark . Professional statistics . " Accurate as of Week 16 , 2012 " < br > Personal . Smith and his wife , Angie , have three children . He coaches his son ’ s soccer team in his spare time , and is a partner in Athletes United for Youth , a charity organization that provides educational , programmatic , and structured support to youth housed within under - served communities . In May 2008 , Smith announced that he purchased a near - 50 % interest in the existing Velocity Sports Performance franchise in Charlotte and an equal ownership percentage in any future Charlotte area Velocity centers . Smith also announced that he is working at Morgan Stanley ' s Charlotte office as a financial planning intern , working alongside his own financial advisor , Derek L . Copeland , who is Senior Vice President with the Copeland Sivak Group . In a radio interview in April 2010 , Australian Rules footballer Sam Mitchell stated that he named his newborn son Smith after Steve .