Front Office

Since A.J. Smith took the reins of the Chargers on April 22, 2003, after his close friend and long-time associate, John Butler, lost his battle with cancer, the Chargers have won 80 games and five AFC West championships in eight years.

Before Smith was named general manager, the Chargers had not been to the playoffs or had a winning record for seven consecutive seasons.

Now, for the first time in their 51-year history, the Chargers have a string of seven consecutive seasons without a losing record.

Smith continues a fast rise up the charts toward becoming the winningest general manager in Chargers history. Sid Gillman is ranked first all-time with 93 wins while serving as both general manager and head coach for 12 seasons (1960-71). Smith is entering his ninth year at the helm and is seven wins from passing Johnny Sanders (86 wins) for the second-most during a Chargers general manager’s tenure. Sanders held thepost for 11 seasons (1976-86).

Smith is widely recognized as one of the National Football League’s top general managers and talent evaluators. This success on the field has led to recognition in several national publications. He was named the NFL’s 2004 Executive of the Year by Pro Football Weekly, the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA), FoxSports.com and CBS Sports-Line.com. In 2006, Forbes named him its top NFL General Manager, and in addition, the magazine ranked Smith fourth overall among his counterparts in the four major professional sports leagues in the U.S. and Canada (NFL, NBA, NHL and MLB). In 2009, USA Today ranked Smith sixth on their list of the Top 20 Personnel Executives in the NFL, and Forbes recognized Smith once again in 2010, ranking him fifth on its list of the Top 10 NFL GMs.

The team’s success since Smith took over as general manager has not been lost on the organization. On Jan. 1, 2008, President Dean Spanos rewarded Smith with a five-year contract extension through 2014.

Smith has made a plethora of noteworthy player moves. In perhaps his most memorable, Smith selected quarterback Eli Manning with the first overall pick in the 2004 NFL Draft and less than an hour later, traded him to the New York Giants for Philip Rivers (the fourth overall choice) and several draft picks.

Smith has made many notable decisions during his tenure, including the recommendation he made to Spanos in 2007 that the Chargers hire Norv Turner as head coach. Spanos and Smith have since had a front-row seat as Turner guided the team to three AFC Western Division championships in his first four years and a 41-23 record.

Prior to assuming the general manager’s role in San Diego, Smith spent the previous 27 years moving methodically through the ranks of professional football. He worked as a part-time scout, full-time scout, assistant director of scouting, director of scouting and assistant general manager before being promoted to executive vice president-general manager of the Chargers.

Indianapolis Colts President Bill Polian said of Smith: “In football, A.J. has been there and done that with everything there is to do in the game, going back to the USFL days. He is a quintessential football man.”

And Baltimore Ravens General Manager Ozzie Newsome added: “A.J. learned from Bill Polian in Buffalo. And he learned from George Allen in the USFL. He’s been around successfulpeople, so he’s learned the right way to do things.”

Smith began his second tenure with the Chargers on Jan. 18, 2001, as assistant general manager and director of pro personnel. His duties included monitoring NFL transactions, evaluating pro talent, and handling tryouts and free agent contracts.

Smith has worked in pro football since 1977, including three years in the United States Football League in the early 1980s. He spent 14 seasons (1987-00) with the Buffalo Bills, joining the team as an area scout in 1987 before being named assistant director of college scouting in 1989. In 1993, Smith became director of pro personnel.

During his tenure in Buffalo, referred to as the “Glory Years” in Bills history, Smith worked closely with Hall of Fame coach Marv Levy as the team’s assistant director of college scouting. And during that time, Buffalo made appearances in Super Bowls XXV, XXVI and XXVII. Smith was promoted to director of pro personnel prior to the Bills’ appearance in Super Bowl XXVIII.

Smith served as the Chargers’ pro personnel director from 1985-86. He also held scouting positions with the USFL’s Chicago Blitz (1982-83) and Pittsburgh Maulers (1984). He began his NFL career in 1977 as a volunteer part-time scout for the New York Giants under the direction of Jim Trimble and moved on to become a part-time scout for the New England Patriots (1978-80) and Houston Oilers (1981).

Smith made his start in football as an assistant coach at Cranston West High School in Cranston, Rhode Island, from 1971-76. He was the head coach of the Rhode Island Kings of the Eastern Football League in 1976 and an assistant coach at the University of Rhode Island in 1978.

Smith is a graduate of Bishop Hendricken High School in Warwick, Rhode Island. He was a standout on the football and track teams and was inducted into the school’s hall of fame in 2003. Smith earned a degree in health and physical education from Kentucky Wesleyan College in 1971. In June 2005, Smith returned to his alma mater for the dedication and presentation of a plaque in his honor, which hangs in the A.J. Smith Weight Room inside the Woodward Health and Recreation Center.

Smith played semi-pro football as a wide receiver with the Attleboro (Mass.) Kings of the Eastern Football League from 1972-74 and had a tryout with the Washington Redskins in 1974. He was inducted into the American Football Association’s Minor Semi-pro Football Hall of Fame in 1990. Smith also taught health and physical education in the Providence (R.I.) junior high school system from 1971-85.

Smith and his wife, Susan, reside in Del Mar. The Smiths have two children: a daughter, Andrea, and a son, Kyle.

Andrea graduated Cum Laude from Cortland State in New York with a degree in sports management, where she was an honorable mention All-America volleyball player for the Red Dragons. Andrea now lives in San Diego and is the Manager of Petco Park Suites for Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres.

Kyle graduated from Youngstown State, where he had an outstanding career as a wide receiver and punt returner. Following his senior campaign, Smith was named the team’s most valuable player and was invited to play in the 2006 Hula Bowl All-Star game. After Youngstown State, Smith had free agent opportunities with the Minnesota Vikings in 2006 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2007. He went on to play in NFL Europa with the Berlin Thunder in 2007 and was on the practice squad for the Arena League’s Arizona Rattlers in 2008. Smith’s professional playing career ended in 2010 after a stint on the practice squad with the CFL’s Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Smith now lives in Dallas, Texas, and is the southwest area scout for the Washington Redskins.