Tody Smith Lawrence Edward Smith ( December 24 , 1948 – July 18 , 1999 ) was an American football defensive end in the National Football League . High school career . Smith was a prep All - America n at Charlton - Pollard High School in Beaumont , Texas , where he played for his father W . R . Smith . Smith acquired his nickname in a junior high school Spanish class . Apparently Tody came from toro ( bull ) , because he was the largest boy in his class . College career . He attended Michigan State University but transferred to the University of Southern California after his sophomore year , where he became a standout defensive tackle and a member of the original " Wild Bunch " . He teamed in the defensive line with Al Cowlings , Jimmy Gunn , Willard " Bubba " Scott , and Charlie Weaver to form in 1969 " The Wild Bunch , " which was key for USC to compile a 10 - 0 - 1 record and a No . 3 ranking after a victory over Michigan University in the 1970 Rose Bowl . The Wild Bunch was a hit movie in 1969 and it was Cowlings who dubbed the defensive line ' The Wild Bunch ' for their reckless abandon and hard - nosed style of play . Playing in an era of powerful running games , they allowed just 2 . 3 yards per carry and a league - low 95 . 6 rushing yards a game . He was one of the five USC African American starters ( along with Sam Cunningham , Jimmy Jones , Clarence Davis and Charlie Weaver ) , that played against an all - white University of Alabama football team , winning 42 - 21 in Birmingham on September 12 , 1970 . This game was historically significant , because it was a factor in convincing the University of Alabama and its fan base to accelerate the integration of its football team . Smith played two seasons ( 1969 – 70 ) for the Trojans . In 1969 he was honorable Mention All PAC - 8 and in 1970 he was a Second Team All - American , even though he played only four games as a senior because of an ankle injury . There is a statue of him and the other four at USC ' s Heritage Hall . He also appeared in the famed gunslinger photo of the five of them . Professional career . Dallas Cowboys . Smith was drafted by the Dallas Cowboys in the 1st round of the 1971 NFL Draft as a defensive end . An ankle injury suffered during his senior season at college limited him to only 7 games during his rookie year . He spent the first seven games of the season on the team ' s taxi squad , but when he joined the 40 - man roster , he quickly convinced the Cowboys he had a future in the NFL and even contributed in the Cowboys win in Super Bowl VI . Although he had surgery during the off - season on an injured knee , head coach Tom Landry seemed convinced Smith had the capability to start in 1972 . After a disappointing second year where he only played 10 games , he was traded along with Billy Parks before the 1973 season to the Houston Oilers , for their first and third round draft picks in the 1974 NFL Draft . For the first time in their history , the Dallas Cowboys had the first overall draft choice which they used to select Ed " Too Tall " Jones . With the third round pick they acquired , the Cowboys drafted Danny White . Houston Oilers . Smith played for the Houston Oilers for the next 3 seasons . Buffalo Bills . He was traded to the Buffalo Bills in 1976 where he played only 2 games and retired at the end of the season , having played 69 games in 7 seasons in the NFL . Personal . Smith ' s brother is actor and former NFL Pro Bowl er Bubba Smith . Like his brother , Tody appeared in a few films , including " The Hollywood Knights " and eventually became his agent . Smith was married to Chae Castillo , a professional model / actress . They have a 22 - year - old daughter Rheo Smith , and an 18 - year - old son Dakota Castillo - Smith , a 6 ' 8 " football player who recently graduated from Westchester High School in Los Angeles , redshirting at USC . Smith died in his sleep at his home in Los Angeles in 1999 .