By Gay Lyons
Lee Smith doesn’t pull any punches or hide from his past. The former NFL football player and Knoxville native traces his success to an early failure. Football was probably always in his future. He was born during his father’s rookie year in the NFL. Smith’s father, Daryl Smith, played for the Dallas Cowboys and the Philadelphia Eagles for six years. Following his retirement, he turned to alcohol, setting in motion a similar self-destructive path for his son.
Smith’s football career at the University of Tennessee began and ended in the summer of 2006. “I was suspended by Coach Fulmer,” he said. “I didn’t even make it to the first season. I was a self-destructive tennager.”
“I was damaged goods for the big programs,” he continued. “But Marshall was waiting with open arms. God has a funny way of shutting doors and opening windows.”
Smith transferred to Marshall University in Huntington, West Virginia, where two of his high school coaches had ties, in fall of 2006, and following graduation with majors in criminal justice and psychology, he was drafted by the New England Patriots. Released after just one month, he was claimed by the Buffalo Bills. He later played for the Oakland Raiders, the Bills again and the Atlanta Falcons before retiring in 2022.
During his second semester at Marshall, he married his high school sweetheart Alisha. The couple has four children, Brody, age 15, Amanda, age 13, Brock, age 11 and Addison, age 10.
“Alisha’s Mama Bear,” said Smith of his wife. “She’s been taking care of everything since we got married. She’s my best buddy.”
The couple did not end up in Knoxville by happenstance.
“Knoxville was always home,” said Smith. “Fall semester we lived wherever I was playing. Spring semester we lived in Knoxville. It was never a secret where we were going to grow old and raise our kids.”
Smith gave a lot of thought to what his life might look like after he retired from the NFL.
“I’ve always found myself in a mentor role,” he said. “I was always considered a ‘culture’ guy. If the leadership wanted the locker room culture a certain way, I could do that. It’s a gift from God. I’m a natural born leader. I could lead down a bad path or a good path. I felt pressure to never lead anyone down a bad path again. I get my most enjoyment helping others succeed.”
“I asked myself, ‘When I can’t mentor young players and help my teammates grow, how can I transition out of the NFL and continue to help people grow and be around athletics without being in the NFL?’ I had no desire to be an NFL coach.”
Smith traces his desire to help others to his early struggles and those of his father. “I truly believe my father’s demise and my troubles shaped me. A lot of people don’t come out of that. I feel like there’s a big purpose to my life that I did come out of it. That’s why I built Triple F Elite Sports Training.”
“We provide professional level resources in a Christ-centered environment focused on the long-term development process,” he continued. “Based on an individualized, 12-month training plan, our system is designed to meet all specific needs that consider the most important variables: sport, age, gender, position, ability, health history and schedule. Professional athletes are blessed to have access to the top strength and conditioning, sports medicine and sports nutrition experts within their own organization. At Triple F, our mission is to provide the same industry-leading practices, in a professional level environment for the youth athlete to fully realize his or her athletic potential.”
Triple F supports a program called “No Athlete Left Behind.” “My passion is helping the kids who need help the most, the kids with the worst home environments,” said Smith. “Fifty spaces at Triple F are reserved for these kids. I want to help the kids who have a chance to change their life through athletics. I want to be a role model for these kids. Athletics teaches teamwork, hard work and discipline and sacrifice. Kids want and need discipline and structure.”
“Our promise at Triple F and No Athlete Left Behind is that we will reach the maximum potential for your child,” said Smith. “Most will not be professional athletes, but most will play college athletics at some level. These kids will be my dentists and my lawyers. I want them to be the next generation of growth in Knoxville. They’re well rounded, confident, tough, hard working men and women of character.”