Fred Smerlas

Frederic Charles Smerlas (born April 8, 1957) is a former American football defensive lineman who was a 5-time NFL Pro Bowl selection during 14-year career as a nose tackle with the Buffalo Bills, San Francisco 49ers, and New England Patriots.

Smerlas, of Greek-American descent, graduated from Waltham High School in 1975, where he was a star football player and wrestler. He became a defensive lineman for Boston College before embarking on an NFL career. His 1990 autobiography, By a Nose, recounts his eleven years with the Buffalo Bills and their climb from cellar-dwellers to Super Bowl contenders.

Smerlas currently resides in Sudbury, Massachusetts and is a part-time co-host during football season on Sportsradio WEEI-FM as well as a contributor to western New York radio stations WGR in Buffalo and WHAM in Rochester. Smerlas is an avid motorcyclist, who often rides to support various Boston based charitable organizations.

All Pro Productions

Smerlas's company, All-Pro Productions, Inc.^[1] is a telemarketing contractor and fundraiser for police, firefighter, and similar organizations and agencies in Massachusetts. All-Pro Productions, Inc was one of the for-profit solicitor organizations profiled in a Worcester Telegram article.^[2] The article was critical of several organizations which raise money in donations and return only a small percentage to the charity. According to state records obtained by the telegram, All-Pro productions raised $559,042 since 2007 from donors for a Worcester firefighters memorial to honor the six who died in the 1999 Worcester cold storage fire. 68 percent ($379,041) of the money raised went to All-Pro productions and $180,001 was donated to the memorial.^[3] In 2010 All-Pro Productions raised $416,626 from donors for the Veterans outreach center Metrowest which received 18 percent of the funds raised ($74,494).^[4]

Fred & Steve's Steakhouse

Smerlas, along with friend and colleague Steve DeOssie, opened a second place award-winning steakhouse at the Twin River Casino in Lincoln, Rhode Island in March 2007 called Fred & Steve's Steakhouse.^[5]

Political career

A Boston Herald article ^[6] announced on April 6, 2007 that Fred considered seeking the Massachusetts 5th US Congressional seat being vacated by Martin T. Meehan as a Republican candidate. He dropped out of the race on April 26 after supporting candidate James Ogonowski, a retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and brother of John Ogonowski, who piloted American Airlines Flight 11.

"No one tells me what to do, I have faith in Jim. I believe in this guy.", Smerlas reported in an April 27 Boston Globe article.^[7]

In 2010, Smerlas expressed an interest in relocating to Western New York to challenge Brian Higgins or Louise Slaughter, believing that they have not adequately represented Western New York or the upstate region as a whole. He indicated that his son was considering attending the University at Buffalo, and if he were to relocate, he may run either in 2010 or 2012,^[8] later ruling out a 2010 run. He said that his first priority "would be to take a big saw and cut New York City off."^[9]

Bibliography

• Fred Smerlas and Vic Carucci, By A Nose: The Off-Center Life of Football's Funniest Lineman, Simon And Schuster, 1990. ISBN 0-671-70532-6

See also

• Most consecutive starts by a nose tackle

External links

• Fred Smerlas Football at the Wayback Machine (archived October 27, 2009)
• Fred Smerlas Buffalo Hall of Fame
• Fred Smerlas Statistics
• Fred Smerlas Boston College
• First & Goal, a charitable organization run by Fred Smerlas, sponsors events that support police and firefighters in Massachusetts
• All Pro tailgate party Home Page

References