Who was Dean Smith? Olympic Sprinter And Stunt Performer Dead at 91

Dean Smith was an Olympic sprinter who won the Amateur Athletic Union championships in 100 m in 1952. He was also fourth in the 100 m and ran the leadoff leg for the American gold medal-winning 4 x 100 m relay team at the Helsinki Olympics.

He died after a prolonged battle with cancer at the age of 91. His death occurred on Saturday, June 24, 2023.

He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin where he ran track and was a member of the Silver Spurs. He also played professional football for the Los Angeles Rams and the Pittsburgh Steelers, however, he never appeared in a regular season game.

After a successful athletic career, he ventured into the movie industry as a stuntman. He was a professional rodeo cowboy and stuntman in Hollywood. He competed in amateur rodeo partaking in several events such as bareback bronc riding and calf roping.

Smith was an honorable member of the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association. He was inducted into the Texas Rodeo Cowboy Hall of Fame in 2006.