A.J. Smith, a veteran NFL executive who held the title of the most successful general manager in Chargers history, passed away on Sunday at the age of 75.
His son, Kyle Smith, assistant general manager for the Atlanta Falcons, announced his father’s passing in a statement. Kyle mentioned that his father had been fighting prostate cancer for seven years.
A.J. Smith had a long career spanning 35 years in the NFL, starting as a part-time scout with the New York Giants in 1977.
He had two periods of service with the Chargers, initially as the pro personnel director in 1985-86.
After spending 14 seasons with the Buffalo Bills and rising to the position of director of player personnel, Smith returned to San Diego as the assistant GM in 2001. He was later promoted to general manager in 2003 following the passing of John Butler.
Under Smith’s leadership, the Chargers clinched five division titles during his ten-year tenure as GM. Their total of 98 wins, which includes playoffs, ranked sixth highest in the league from 2003-2012.
Despite their strong performance in the regular season, the Chargers didn’t reach the Super Bowl during Smith’s tenure. Their closest attempt was in the AFC championship game during the 2007 season, where they lost to the New England Patriots.
