Multi-Sport Athlete
A two-sport Div. 1 Collegiate (Football and Track) and three-sport professional (Football, Motocross, BMX) athlete. He is still dedicated, competing to this day racing in the 2024 UCI BMX World Championships and select USA BMX pro series events.
Early years
Smith grew up in Vallejo, California before moving to Fairfield, California, when he was 14.[1] At Fairfield High School, Smith was a three-sport star, playing basketball, football and track. He competed in California’s state track meet in the triple jump and high jump and earned all-Monticello Empire League honors.[2] He is attributed to helping lead the Fairfield Falcons football and basketball teams to championships before being recruited by Utah State, receiving a full scholarship to play football as a defensive back for the Aggies.[3]
Fairfield High School later inducted him into its Hall of Fame for track & field, football, and basketball.[4][5]
College years
At Utah State University, Smith started 44 straight games at defensive back.[6][7] As a freshman, he led the Big West Conference in interceptions,[8] and made news for suiting up for practice and game day just days after being injured in a three-car rollover crash.[9] He made a game-winning fumble recovery and return for a touchdown against highly ranked Fresno State University [10]and set the record for interceptions that year, finishing his career second all-time on Utah State’s Interceptions list with 17 interceptions.[11] Upon graduation, Damon was ranked 2nd in the nation in total career interceptions behind the University of Alabama “Jim Thorpe Award Winner” Antonio Langham for their four-year collegiate playing period. He finished his last year of college in the top 50 on the all-time NCAA football list for career interceptions with 17 interceptions and still ranks on that list today.[12]
Professional career
Football
After graduating from Utah State with a degree in MIS with a Computer Science emphasis,[13] Smith was recruited and played for the Calgary Stampeders as a defensive back.[14] While in Calgary, Smith was praised by secondary coach Frank Spaziani, stating he “worked hard” and was “a bulldog.” [15] He played alongside other notable athletes such as Doug Flutie,[16] Jay McNeil, Travis Moore, Marvin Coleman,[17] Mike Neu, and was coached by Wally Buono.[18] During the ninth game of his rookie season, while replacing injured defensive back Kenton Leonard, he tore a medial collateral ligament in his right knee. His injury prompted concern for what the Stampeders would do for defensive backs, as the injury appeared severe enough to end his season.[16] Smith returned to California to rehabilitate and prepare for other opportunities.[2][18] Although he rehabilitated quickly, Smith found himself without a contract.[19] Over the next year, he trained alongside elite athletes before moving on to endeavors outside of athletics.[13]
Two Sport Pro Athlete: Motocross
Two sport pro athlete: In 2005, Smith returned to the world of sport, only this time pursuing his lifelong passion for racing motocross. Although he had experience with BMX in his youth, he had never before raced a motorcycle.[20][21][22] After training and racing for two years, he began pursuing national-level races, and raced in the 2008 Loretta Lynn’s Amateur Championship, which is known as the world’s largest amateur motocross race, and the final stop for amateurs before they join the professional ranks.[23][24] The following year, he raced in the World Amateur Arena Cross Finals held at the MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, NV,[25] in which the top five riders from each class from the four Arena Cross Series regions (East, West, Midwest, and Central) raced for the championship title.[26] By the end of his third year of racing, he passed the rigorous qualification process required to advance to the pro level, competing against hundreds of other would-be pro racers for the 75 pro qualification points required to earn the “Pro” title officially.[27][28][29][30] Officially an AMA Pro in 2009, he competed in the west coast leg of the American Motorcyclist Association Arenacross Series, as well as the Washougal, Washington race of the American Motorcyclist Association Motocross Series,[31] and in 2010, he competed in 4 AMA Supercross Championship events in the Lites class.[32]
Three Sport Multi Sport Professional Athlete BMX
Three-sport professional athlete: Recently competed for TEAM USA in the 2022 UCI World Championships and the 2024 UCI World BMX World Championships Started racing in the USA BMX Pro Series in the VetPro classification class.
