Legendary status

Justin Smith honored by SEC

Former Jefferson City Jay and Mizzou Tiger football great Justin Smith and wife Kerry at Friday night's AT&T SEC Legends banquet in Atlanta.
Former Jefferson City Jay and Mizzou Tiger football great Justin Smith and wife Kerry at Friday night's AT&T SEC Legends banquet in Atlanta.

Like most couples with sons ages 8, 4 and 3, Justin and Kerry Smith are having a busy December. Christmas does that to young families.

Their Christmas was made a bit busier last weekend when the former Jefferson City Jay and Missouri Tiger defensive star was honored in Atlanta as the University of Missouri member of the 2016 class of Southeastern Conference (SEC) Legends.

The Smiths left their youngsters in the capable hands of grandparents David and Ginger Smith in Jefferson City while they participated in the weekend full of celebrations built around the SEC football championship game in Atlanta.

Friday night, they were among those honored by AT&T at a gala banquet for the SEC Legends at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency Hotel. On Saturday, Justin was introduced with the other retired football stars from the other 13 member schools in the SEC before the kickoff of the championship game. 

For the Smiths, that meant spending their Sunday not just negotiating Atlanta's massive airport, but also Chicago O'Hare for a change of planes back to Missouri.

Smith retired last year after a professional football career that spanned 14 seasons with the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers. He was the highest NFL draft pick ever out of Mizzou, the No. 4 overall pick by the Bengals. Smith was a first-team consensus all-America in his junior year. He racked racked up 97 tackles and 11 sacks that season, MU records at the time. He bypassed his senior season to join the draft and proceeded to earn Pro Bowl honors five years and designation as NFL defensive player of the year during the 2011 season.

The Smiths and their three sons returned to Missouri from San Francisco after his retirement. They have built a home on East New Haven road in southern Columbia. Smith is active with multiple business interests with hs father and other partners in the Jefferson City, Holts Summit and Columbia areas.

Kerry Smith is a former Moberly High School and Mizzou track and field star.