Arkansas Razorback football legend Billy Ray Smith Jr. has died at the age of 64 following a long battle with dementia. Smith passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Wednesday, July 29.
“To know Billy Ray was to love Billy Ray,” Los Angeles Chargers owner Dean Spanos said in the team's official announcement. “He wasn't merely a great football player. He was, truly, larger than life.”
Billy Ray Smith Jr. is one of the greatest defensive players in Arkansas Football history
Few Arkansas Razorbacks have had a better career in Fayetteville than Billy Ray Smith Jr.
The No. 5 overall pick in the 1983 NFL Draft earned two unanimous All-American honors for the Hogs in 1981 and 1982. He was also the team's captain during his senior season, during which he helped lead Arkansas to a 9-2-1 record and a victory over Florida in the Bluebonnet Bowl.
Smith's dominance is still reflected in the Arkansas record book, as he remains the Razorbacks' career leader with 63 tackles for loss -- 15.5 more than second-place Trey Flowers.
Like his son, Billy Ray Smith Sr. (who passed away in 2001) was a pioneer for the Arkansas Razorbacks, earning first-team All-SWC honors in 1956 before being drafted in the third round of the 1957 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. The hard-nosed defensive lineman would go on to become the first Arkansas Razorback to both play in a Super Bowl (Super Bowl III) and win a Super Bowl (Super Bowl V) as part of the legendary Baltimore Colts squads of the late 1960s and early 1970s. His son built upon this legacy with an equally historic career for the Hogs.
We are saddened by the passing of Billy Ray Smith Jr. He was a legendary Razorback, team captain in 1982, two-time All-American and the 5th overall pick in the NFL Draft in 1983. Our thoughts are with his loved ones. pic.twitter.com/8zPA1Ruqkc
— Arkansas Football 🐗 (@RazorbackFB) July 30, 2026
Smith Jr. followed his father to Fayetteville and ultimately appeared alongside Billy Ray Smith Sr. on the program's All-Century Team. He was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame and Razorback Hall of Honor before becoming the sixth Arkansas player to enter the College Football Hall of Fame in 2000.
Smith Jr. spent his entire 10-year NFL career with the Chargers, appearing in 126 games and earning consecutive Chargers Defensive Player of the Year awards in 1985 and 1986 before being named the team's MVP in 1987. In 2009, he was selected for the Chargers' 50th Anniversary Team, and after retiring, he became a prominent television and radio personality in the city.
The news of Billy Ray Smith Jr.'s passing comes not long after fellow Arkansas legends Bill Burnett and Jim Lindsey died at the ages of 78 and 81, respectively. Losing three legendary figures from Razorback history in less than a month has been hard for the Arkansas community, so hopefully, the program will find a way to honor their lives and careers during the upcoming season.
The Smith family produced two of the most important defensive players in Arkansas football history, and both will be sorely missed.
Billy Ray Smith Jr. is survived by his wife, longtime San Diego news anchor Kimberly Hunt, and their daughter, Savannah.
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