Dr. Jeffrey Maurice Smith Sr.

Jeffrey Maurice Smith, Sr., of Oxon Hill, Maryland, was born August 26, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Willie Bee (Yarbrough) and James Smith, Sr. He was the fourth of their six sons. Like his brothers, he was raised in a family where everyone cared for each other, worked hard, and loved the Lord. Jeff joined Community Baptist Church at an early age, participated in its activities, and continued to support it throughout his life. Under the pastorate of his uncle, Dr. Richard Mattox, Jeff received clear and consistent Christian education and became a man who always sought to study, understand, and follow God’s calling.

Gifted with physical talent and a love for football, Jeff graduated from Glenville High School, where he received an athletic as well as an academic scholarship to Kent State University. At Kent, he played offensive line on the 1972 MAC Championship team, and he forged lifelong bonds with another band of brothers.

Jeff graduated in 1974 with a Social Studies degree. He taught and coached in nearby Ashtabula, then Lorain, where he married and became the father of three sons. After serving as the first Black head football coach in the city’s history for several years, he accepted the call to become an offensive line coach at Kent State University.

Although Jeff loved coaching at his alma mater, he loved his family more. After his youngest son developed autism, Jeff chose to sacrifice his job and career to implement an intensive cognitive therapy program that required up to six hours of physical activity daily, much of which took place in Kent State’s athletic facilities.

During that season and after, Jeff pursued God by engaging in formal biblical studies. He also began graduate programs at Kent State University, where he earned a master’s degree, then a doctorate in School Counseling. When Creighton University called, Dr. Jeffrey Smith, Sr. was prepared and moved to Omaha, Nebraska, where he embraced opportunities to teach, research, and serve throughout the community for the next twenty-two years.

On Thursday, June 3, 2021, God called His beloved servant Jeff home.

Jeffrey Smith, Sr. leaves to mourn his passing and celebrate his life a beloved wife, Dr. Lillie Gayle Smith of Oxon Hill, three sons: Jeffrey Jr. (Kate) of Malden, MA; James Michael Charles (aka Mike or JC) Washington, D. C., and Jonathan of Oxon Hill; two adored grandchildren: Desmond Jonathan and Simone Marilyn Smith of Malden. He leaves five brothers: James (Jackie) of Kansas City, MO; Edward (Patricia) of Las Vegas, NV; Melvin of Cleveland, OH; Greg (Kay) of Dallas, TX; and Michael (Loretta) of Tallahassee, FL. He is survived by two aunts: Mary Lee Moore of Pattison, MS and Dora Younger of Port Gibson, MS, and three uncles: Sidney Yarbrough and George Yarbrough (Cecilia) of Cleveland, OH, and Roosevelt Yarbrough of Pattison, MS. He is also survived by a host of adoring nieces and nephews, along with a large but close network of cousins. He will be missed by his many friends, colleagues, students, and teammates from the golden era of Kent State football.