Former Arkansas Razorbacks linebacker Billy Ray Smith passed away at the age of 64 on Wednesday. The College Football Hall of Famer, who followed his father into the Razorback family and then into NFL stardom, will forever be remembered by college football fans.

Smith arrived in Fayetteville after starring at Plano Senior High School in Texas, where he helped deliver a Class 4A state championship.

He chose Arkansas in part because of the path already carved by his father, Billy Ray Smith Sr., a Super Bowl champion who had also worn the Hog uniform and earned All-American honors.

The younger Smith not only matched that standard but equaled it completely, becoming a two-time unanimous All-American just as his father had before him.

At Arkansas, Smith’s combination of size, speed, strength, and football intelligence made him a dominant force on the defensive line. Those same traits later made him one of the highest-rated prospects in the 1983 NFL Draft.

The San Diego Chargers selected him fifth overall, and he spent his entire decade-long professional career with the franchise, earning team MVP honors and cementing his place as a Chargers legend while wearing number 54.

Yet the foundation for everything that followed was built in the Ozarks. The discipline, toughness, and competitive fire that defined Smith’s NFL years were forged under the lights in Fayetteville, where Razorback fans came to know him as both an exceptional athlete and a young man of high character.

His induction into the College Football Hall of Fame recognized not only individual excellence but the continuity of a family legacy that remains one of the proudest chapters in Arkansas football history.

After football, Smith’s life of service continued far beyond the field. He devoted years to community work in San Diego, helped create programs for local youth, co-founded a foundation supporting military families, and built a successful career in sports broadcasting.

Through it all he remained a devoted husband to Kimberly Hunt and a proud father to their daughter, Savannah.

In a statement released Wednesday, his family noted that he faced a long battle with dementia caused by CTE with bravery, dignity, and strength. They described a man who brought joy, light, and laughter to those around him and who cherished the respect of teammates, colleagues, and fans in return.

For those who followed the Razorbacks through the late 1970s and early 1980s, Billy Ray Smith Jr. represented the ideal of the program: a player who honored family tradition while forging his own path to greatness.

His impact on Arkansas football endures, just as the respect and affection of the Razorback community will endure for the man who once wore the uniform with such distinction.