BruceSmith

Bruce Bernard Smith is a former defensive end born June 18, 1963, who played 19 NFL seasons, primarily with the Buffalo Bills, after being taken first overall out of Virginia Tech in 1985. He's the NFL's all-time leader in sacks with 200, an 11-time Pro Bowler, eight-time first-team All-Pro, and Pro Football Hall of Famer (2009).

At Virginia Tech, Smith earned the nickname "the Sack Man," piling up 46 college sacks and winning the 1984 Outland Trophy as the nation's top lineman. Buffalo took him first overall in 1985, though his rookie season was hampered by poor conditioning habits — a turnaround sparked by a teammate's encouragement and, by his own account, finding love with his future wife.

Smith became one of the most feared pass rushers in football, anchoring Buffalo's defense through four consecutive Super Bowl appearances (1990–1993 seasons). In Super Bowl XXV, he recorded a safety on Jeff Hostetler, becoming only the fifth player to do so in a Super Bowl, in a game the Bills lost by a single point on a missed field goal. He was named AP Defensive Player of the Year twice (1990, 1996).

Smith spent his final four seasons with the Washington Redskins, where in 2003 he passed Reggie White's career sacks record and became the first — and still only — player to reach 200 career sacks, doing so against the Bears' Rex Grossman.

Smith was a first-ballot Hall of Fame inductee in 2009, and the Bills retired his No. 78 in 2016. He's widely regarded as one of the greatest defensive ends ever to play, having piled up his record total largely within a 3-4 scheme not typically built for sack production.