Billy Ray Smith came to San Diego to play football for the Chargers.
Love — for the city, its people and his family — kept him here.
Smith, who died Wednesday at age 64, played linebacker for the Chargers from 1983-92. But it was what he did afterward — spending decades as a sportcaster, radio host and philanthropist — that further endeared him to San Diego.
“He loved being a part of San Diego,” longtime radio co-host Scott Kaplan said Wednesday.
San Diegans loved him back.
“Yeah, he was the fifth overall pick and he played 10 years and, yeah, was the face of the defense before he handed it off to Junior Seau. But he was the guy who never left San Diego,” Kaplan said. “He was loved because people knew Billy Ray. It wasn’t like other star athletes; they knew him because they had seen his whole life, from the time he was in his early 20s, play out on local television. And he never left.”
Smith died following a “long journey with dementia caused by CTE,” his family said Wednesday, adding that he faced his diagnosis with “bravery, dignity and strength.”
As Chargers legend and Pro Football Hall of Famer Dan Fouts put it: “He was a great player and an even better person.”
SAN DIEGO – DECEMBER 2: Linebacker Billy Ray Smith #54 of the San Diego Chargers watches the action from the sidelines during a game against the New York Jets at Jack Murphy Stadium on December 2, 1990 in San Diego, California. The Chargers won 38-17. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Smith’s death was announced by KGTV, where Smith worked as a sportscaster and sports director for decades and where his wife, longtime Channel 10 news anchor Kimberly Hunt, is still employed.
“Billy Ray brought so much joy, light, and laughter to the world as a devoted father, husband, son, and loyal friend,” the family said in a statement. “On the NFL gridiron for a decade with the Chargers, and decades that followed in sports broadcasting, Billy Ray earned deep respect from teammates, colleagues, and fans, who he cherished in return.”
The Chargers took Smith fifth overall in the 1983 NFL draft out of Arkansas, where he put together a College Football Hall of Fame career.
San Diego’s coaches moved Smith from defensive end to linebacker, and it wasn’t long before he was the anchor of the Chargers’ defense. Smith was named the team’s top defensive player in 1985 and 1986, and the team MVP in 1987. He played 126 games in the NFL, all with San Diego.
“But he wasn’t merely a great football player,” Chargers owner Dean Spanos said Wednesday. “He was, truly, larger than life. Always smiling. Lighting up every room he walked into. Infectious laughter. The kind of friend a friend should be. That was Billy Ray.
“When someone who brought so much positivity into the world leaves us, it’s hard to process. Hard to accept,” Spanos added. “That’s how I feel right now, and I know I’m not alone.”
SAN DIEGO – SEPTEMBER 25: Full back Mike Pruitt #43 of the Cleveland Browns gets taken down by linebacker Billy Ray Smith #54 of the San Diego Chargers during a game at Jack Murphy Stadium on September 25, 1983 in San Diego, California. The Browns won 30-24 in overtime. (Photo by George Rose/Getty Images)
Smith’s star power only grew when his playing days were over. In addition to his duties at Channel 10, Smith teamed with Kaplan for “Scott and B.R.” on multiple platforms, anchored “Chargers Power Report” on Channel 6, “Chargers Preview” and “Aztecs Sports Weekly” on Channel 4 and was a contributor to Fox’s national college football and NFL shows.
Fouts went on to work on-air with his former teammate. He said the retired linebacker brought a different perspective.
“Doing football broadcasts, you rarely get the defensive side of the analysis,” Fouts said. “He knew exactly what was supposed to happen, and how it happened, and why it happened.”
Said Kaplan, Smith’s radio partner for 20 years: “He studied every statistic of every team. He wanted to know everything he could before he got on the air. He took preparation very seriously.”
Former Chargers linebacker Billy Ray Smith speaks during the memorial service, recalling a memory of playing football alongside Junior Seau. (Scott Allison)
Like any good teammate, Smith was fiercely loyal. Kaplan was fired from “Scott and B.R.” in 2012, and Smith, as Kaplan recalled, was given a choice by management.
“The CEO of the company said, ‘You can stay with him or you can come with us,’” Kaplan recalled.
Smith quit.
“On the spot,” Kaplan said.
San Diegans saw some of that same loyalty in Smith, who remained in San Diego long after its NFL team departed for Los Angeles in 2017.
Smith was active in local charities as a player and broadcaster. He and Hunt were recently named recipients of the Nice Guy of the Year Award, which will be given out at a gala in October.
“He had that big smile, that huge laugh, that rip-your-arm-off handshake,” Kaplan said. “B.R. did everything right. There was not one part of him that was a lie, a secret, not one skeleton in the closet. He really, really lived a life that he could be very proud of.”
Smith is survived by Hunt, his wife of 36 years, and their daughter, Savannah. The family said it will announce plans for a celebration of life at a later date.
