Born January 4, 1933. Began stringing football games while still in high school at Geraldine where he was an honor student and three-sport athlete. Worked in sports information office while attending Jacksonville State. Became Sports Editor of the Sand Mountain Reporter in 1955. After writing for the Times-Journal and Birmingham Post Herald, he returned to the Gadsden Times in 1961, becoming sports editor in 1963. The winner of 62 newspaper awards including at least one first place in four different decades, he is the only one to win Associated Press awards for “Sweepstakes,” “Writing on Deadline,” “Feature,” and “Best Column” all in one year. He was a double Pulitzer nominee in 1968. Voted lifetime Secretary-Treasurer of Alabama Sports Writers Association, Smothers is a member of the Alabama Sports Writers Hall of Fame, and the Etowah County Sports Hall of Fame.
