Troy Smith Troy James Smith ( born July 20 , 1984 ) is a gridiron football quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League . He played college football for The Ohio State University , was recognized as an All - American , and won the 2006 Heisman Trophy . He was drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the fifth round of the 2007 NFL Draft , and has also played for the NFL ' s San Francisco 49ers and the UFL ' s Omaha Nighthawks . Early years . Smith ' s mother raised him and two siblings in Columbus , Ohio , then moved to the Glenville neighborhood of Cleveland . Smith first brought out an interest in playing football in Cleveland , where he played for the Glenville A ' s , initially as running back and tight end . Irvin White , his coach , moved Smith to quarterback after a few games and Smith stayed in the position . In 1993 , Smith was placed in foster care with Diane and Irvin White while his mother dealt with personal issues . High school career . Smith played his first two years at St . Edward High School in Lakewood , Ohio , but was thrown off the team after elbowing an opponent in the head while playing in a varsity football game . He transferred to Glenville High School in Cleveland , Ohio shortly thereafter . Smith graduated from Glenville where he was coached by Ted Ginn , Sr . , father of his teammate Ted Ginn , Jr . Interestingly , Smith and Ginn went on to play together at Ohio State . After his junior football season in high school , Smith was invited to participate in the Elite 11 competition , featuring the eleven top ranked high school quarterback prospects in the US . He earned good praise following his performance , and although it was relatively late in the recruiting process , Ohio State offered Smith a football scholarship . He verbally committed to the Buckeyes , signing his letter of intent on February 6 , 2002 , the last player for the upcoming season . Smith threw for 969 yards and 12 touchdowns in his senior year . He played alongside current Carolina Panther , Ted Ginn , Jr . , while leading Glenville to the state playoffs . Smith also played three years of basketball and ran track ( high jump , long jump and 1 , 600 - meter relay ) . West Virginia University and Ohio State recruited him . Smith accepted the last scholarship of Ohio State ' s 2002 football recruiting class . College career . Smith attended the Ohio State University , where he played for coach Jim Tressel ' s Ohio State Buckeyes football team from 2003 to 2006 . As a redshirted freshman for the Buckeyes , Smith played sparingly at running back and kick returner in 2003 . Smith played the season opener against Washington as a scatback and returner , and he compiled fourteen yards rushing and 83 return yards . After the game , he came on the NFL scouting radar as an " athlete . " He entered his sophomore season as the backup quarterback to Justin Zwick , but took over as the starter when Zwick was injured halfway through the 2004 season against Iowa . Smith won four of the five games he started in 2004 , including a victory over the archrival Michigan Wolverines . Smith was suspended for breaking an undisclosed team rule before the Alamo Bowl , with the NCAA extending the suspension to include the first game of the 2005 season after it was revealed that Smith had accepted $ 500 from a booster . With Smith at quarterback , Ohio State lost only two games in the 2005 regular season , and in only one of those , was Smith the starter . The first was to the eventual BCS National Champion Texas Longhorns ( which he did not start ) and the other was to the Penn State Nittany Lions , co - Big Ten champions . Smith ' s 2005 stats included 2 , 282 passing yards with 16 touchdowns and four interceptions . This led to a passer rating of 162 . 66 , the fourth - highest of the season . He rushed for 611 yards and 11 touchdowns on 136 carries . In January 2006 , he was named the Offensive MVP of the Fiesta Bowl , after leading the Buckeyes to a 34 - 20 win over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish . In the second week of the 2006 season , Smith and the Buckeyes took revenge for their 2005 loss to Texas . The top ranked Buckeyes won their rematch with the ( again ) second - ranked Longhorns , 24 - 7 . Smith went 17 - 27 with 269 yards passing , two touchdowns , and no interceptions . For many fans and analysts , Smith ' s performance against the Longhorns gave credibility to the preseason Heisman Trophy hype he ' d received . His passing statistics improved during the 2006 season , completing 67 % of his passes for 2 , 507 yards , with 30 touchdowns and five interceptions . This led to a quarterback rating of 167 . 87 , again fourth in the country . Smith was one of five finalists for the 2006 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award , given to the top senior college quarterback . Teammates voted Smith the 2006 most valuable player . On 2006 - 12 - 07 the Davey O ' Brien Foundation awarded Smith the Davey O ' Brien Award for best college quarterback . He was also a first - team All - Big Ten selection , and was recognized as a unanimous first - team All - American . In three games against Michigan , Smith has a total of 1 , 151 yards of total offense , two rushing touchdowns , and seven passing touchdowns . The Buckeyes won all three games , making Smith the first Ohio State quarterback since Tippy Dye ( 1934 – 1936 ) to quarterback in three victories over Michigan , and the first to win three straight games against Michigan as a starter . Smith ' s college football career came to an end on January 8 , 2007 , when he and the Ohio State Buckeyes were beaten by the Florida Gators in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game , 41 - 14 . Smith completed just four of 14 passes for 35 yards along with an interception , a fumble , and was sacked five times . He graduated with a bachelor ' s degree in communications . In 2010 , Adam Rittenberg of ESPN listed Smith as the " Big Ten player of the decade . " Heisman Trophy . Smith won the 2006 Heisman Memorial Trophy on December 9 , 2006 . He beat out sophomore RB Darren McFadden ( 2nd ) from Arkansas and senior QB Brady Quinn ( 3rd ) , from Notre Dame . In winning the 2006 Heisman , Smith took 86 . 7 % of the first place votes , a record that has not been broken . His tally of 2 , 540 votes was the third largest behind that of the then - 2005 Heisman Trophy winner , Reggie Bush of the University of Southern California ( 2 , 541 votes ) and 1968 Heisman winner O . J . Simpson who also played for USC ( 2 , 853 votes ) . His margin of victory ( 1 , 662 votes ) was also the second largest in the history of the award , eclipsed only by O . J . Simpson who won by 1 , 750 votes . Troy Smith joined Les Horvath ( 1944 ) , Vic Janowicz ( 1950 ) , Howard " Hopalong " Cassady ( 1955 ) , Archie Griffin ( 1974 and 1975 ) and Eddie George ( 1995 ) as Ohio State Heisman winners . Professional career . Baltimore Ravens . As a graduating senior Smith entered professional football in the 2007 NFL Draft . Despite winning the Heisman Trophy , Smith saw his draft stock drop considerably after the 41 - 14 loss to Florida in the 2007 BCS National Championship Game . At 6 ' 0 " , his height ( considered smaller than ideal ) was cited as a liability . Smith was quoted by the media urging his hometown team , the Cleveland Browns , to select him in the NFL Draft . Fans also set up a website urging the Browns to take Smith . However , the Browns drafted Brady Quinn 22nd overall in the 2007 NFL Draft reducing the chances of Smith going to Cleveland . On Day 2 , Smith was finally drafted at the end of the fifth round by the Baltimore Ravens . He signed a three - year contract with the Ravens on July 24 , 2007 . On August 27 , 2007 Drew Olson was released by the Baltimore Ravens elevating Smith to the third string quarterback position . Smith was named second - string quarterback for the Ravens on November 13 , 2007 , backing up new starter Kyle Boller after a shoulder injury to starter Steve McNair . Ravens head coach Brian Billick maintained that Smith could be used in the future . " That ' s going to be a fun challenge for Troy , because now he ' s been around enough , " Billick said . " The focus and attention that he brings to [ preparing ] is heightened . " Smith got his first regular season playing time in the fourth quarter of the home game against the Indianapolis Colts on December 9 , 2007 , completing three of five pass attempts and scrambling 6 yards for his first NFL touchdown in the 44 - 20 loss . After his relative success against the Colts , many Baltimore Ravens fans were calling for Smith to replace Kyle Boller as the Ravens ' starting quarterback . On December 16 , 2007 Smith came in for an injured Kyle Boller in the game against the Miami Dolphins . Smith led the Ravens down the field for a field goal that forced overtime . The Ravens lost 22 - 16 in overtime , after a missed 44 - yard field goal . On December 20 , 2007 , Kyle Boller officially was considered the backup due to injury for the Week 16 game , giving Troy Smith his first professional start against the Seattle Seahawks . He completed fewer than 50 % of his passes and fumbled twice in this game . The Ravens lost 27 - 6 , scoring a touchdown with about four minutes to play and the game out of reach . In Week 17 the Ravens beat the Steelers with Troy Smith starting again . He went 16 - of - 27 for 171 yards and one touchdown , with no interceptions and no fumbles lost . This was the Ravens first win since Week 6 , ending a 9 - game losing streak with a bye at Week 8 . Smith finished his rookie season by totaling 506 total yards and three touchdowns in four games . He had 452 yards and two touchdowns passing and rushed for 54 yards and one touchdown . Smith was scheduled to start in the third preseason game of the 2008 season , but became ill with a rare disease called Lemierre ' s syndrome . Due to Smith ' s illness , rookie Joe Flacco was named to the Ravens ' starting QB position . Early in the season Smith re - emerged in the offense as part of their two - quarterback offense , and was utilized for short - yardage runs . This offense featured Smith lining up at the wide receiver spot as well as under center . Smith appeared in only six of the Ravens ' 19 games and had a total of 4 passing attempts for 82 yards in the 2008 season . For the 2009 season , Flacco was named the starting quarterback for the second consecutive year , while Smith was active for only four of sixteen games . Smith completed five of nine passes for 24 yards with one interception during the season . In addition , he also rushed eight times for thirty - one yards , including his career - long fifteen - yard touchdown run . Smith re - signed with the Ravens for one - year worth $ 1 . 101 million . Smith received the low 5th round tender as a restricted free agent . However , no team was willing to part ways with the coveted pick so Smith was not traded . After signing Marc Bulger as the team ' s backup to Joe Flacco , the Ravens released Smith on September 4 . San Francisco 49ers . On September 6 , 2010 , Smith signed with the San Francisco 49ers , in a move that reunited him with former high school and college teammate , Ted Ginn Jr . On October 27 , Smith was announced as the starter of the 49ers ' game against the Denver Broncos . He became the first black quarterback to start for San Francisco . During this game , Smith ran for one TD and threw another in a 24 - 16 49ers win . Smith struggled early on , passing for just 37 yards in the first half ; however he excelled in the second half by going 8 for 10 for 159 yards , and leading the Niners to three fourth - quarter touchdown drives . Smith was named the Sports Illustrated NFL Offensive Player of the week for his performance . Smith was again given the start for the 49ers next game against the Rams . He led the 49ers to an overtime victory by out - dueling Rams rookie Sam Bradford in a matchup of Heisman trophy - winning quarterbacks . He threw for 356 yards , one touchdown and ran for 12 yards without being intercepted . Smith ' s two straight wins as a starter earned him the starting job for the next three weeks , before he would eventually be replaced by the previous starting quarterback Alex Smith . During that time span , Smith went 3 - 2 for a San Francisco team that finished the season 6 - 10 overall . Despite Smith ' s success as their starting quarterback , San Francisco chose not to re - sign Smith after he became a free agent ; this was mostly because new head coach Jim Harbaugh was expected to seek different options ( though he eventually did choose to go with Alex Smith ) . Omaha Nighthawks . Smith was signed by the Omaha Nighthawks of the United Football League on September 2 , 2011 . An injury to fellow Heisman Trophy - winner Eric Crouch in the season opener , opened the door for Smith to become the starter , though the Nighthawks decided to go with Jeremiah Masoli who had been with the team longer . Smith ' s first UFL start came in Omaha ' s final game of the season , a 25 - 19 loss to the Sacramento Mountain Lions in the consolation round of the postseason . In the game , Smith completed 17 - of - 33 passes for 191 yards , two touchdowns and one interception , including an 81 - yard touchdown pass to Chad Lucas . Pittsburgh Steelers . The Pittsburgh Steelers signed Smith on January 20 , 2012 , and released him on June 25 , 2012 . Montreal Alouettes . On August 14 , 2013 , Smith signed a two - year contract with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League . Smith recorded his first win with the Alouettes in his first start on October 20 , 2013 against the Hamilton Tiger - Cats by a score of 36 - 5 . Smith started the last three regular season games of the season , posting a 2 - 1 record , leading head coach Jim Popp to name him the starter for the playoffs . Smith finished his first year in the CFL with a completion percentage of 52 . 6 % , 884 passing yards , nine touchdowns and five interceptions , in six games played . However , against the same Tiger - Cats in Guelph Ontario , the Alouettes lost 19 - 16 in overtime . Following the 2013 CFL season , Smith was re - signed to a three - year contract , which keeps him with the Alouettes through the 2016 season . Personal life . He has advocated for the passage of the FIT Kids Act , federal legislation that would require school districts to report on students ' physical activity and to give health and nutritional information to children . Smith is currently attending graduate classes at Ohio State University , and is now working for the university as a graduate assistant to current Athletic Director , Gene Smith .