Doug Smith was overlooked from the beginning. Born and raised in Columbus, Ohio, he hoped to play football for the hometown Ohio State University. It, however, didn't recruit him. "I couldn't go to any other Big Ten schools," Smith said. "They all offered me, but I felt like I was a Buckeye. So I decided to go to Bowling Green." A second-team All-MAC center as a senior, Smith was overlooked again in 1978 when he wasn't chosen during the NFL Draft. "The Browns wanted to sign me (as a free agent), and the Philadelphia Eagles. But the Rams offered me a little bit more money because I didn't know that the cost of living was higher in L.A. than it was in the other places," Smith laughed. "They needed a long snapper, and I long-snapped since I was 10, so I thought that may be my way into the NFL.