Jim Ray Smith: key obituary facts
Is Jim Ray Smith dead? Yes. Jim Ray Smith died on October 3, 2026, at age 94.
Cause of death: Jim Ray Smith's cause of death has not been publicly confirmed.
What was Jim Ray Smith known for?
He was an American football player.
More about Jim Ray Smith
Born: 27 February 1932.
Place of birth: West Columbia.
Gender: male.
Nationality: United States.
Education: Columbia High School.
Also known as: James Ray Smith.
Jim Ray Smith, an American football player who played as an offensive guard for the Cleveland Browns and Dallas Cowboys, died October 3, 2026, aged 94.
Born James Ray Smith in West Columbia, Texas, on February 27, 1932, he attended West Columbia High School, where he participated in four sports. He went on to Baylor University on a football scholarship, playing for the Baylor Bears as a two-way tackle and becoming a three-year starter.
Smith’s professional career spanned nine seasons in the National Football League, where he played guard for Cleveland and Dallas. His career connected his college football years at Baylor with two NFL teams, and he later received recognition from institutions in both college and Texas sports. Baylor University inducted him into its Athletics Hall of Fame in 1968. In 1987, he was inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, and in 2008, he entered the Texas Sports Hall of Fame. The honors recognized his football career at the university, national college and state levels. His biography links a high-school athlete from West Columbia with a Baylor playing career and nine seasons as a professional offensive lineman in the NFL.