Bruins Nation joins UCLA in the mourning of Jeff Smith

Former UCLA Bruins football player Jeff Smith passed away after a battle with cancer at just 66 years of age. Bruins Nation joins the entire UCLA community in mourning this loss.

Smith was a letterwinner on the Bruin football teams in 1974 and 1975. He served as a co-captain on both squads under head coach Dick Vermeil which produced a combined 15-5-3 mark. The 1975 Bruins racked up a 9-2-1 record defeating USC to earn a bid to the Rose Bowl game. In Pasadena, UCLA avenged an early season setback by posting a 23-10 win over then No. 1-ranked Ohio State in a game played before 105,464 fans and finished with the No. 5 ranking in the final Associated Press poll. The Bruins were the only team to score more than 14 points against the Buckeyes that season.

Smith attended Palos Verdes High School, where he lettered in three sports, and following his graduation from UCLA went on to serve as a college football coach at the University of Hawai’i, Santa Monica College, Pasadena City College and Occidental College before embarking on a successful career in business.

Jeff is survived by his wife, Gloria, and his two daughters, Kiley and Sally. His final resting place will be at Green Hills Memorial Park in San Pedro.