Chiefs starting right guard Trey Smith He recently shared his love for Kansas City and his family on Chiefs Kahle Mackenzie’s podcast, “For the Record.”
How his birthplace of Jackson, Tennessee, and the loss of his mother shaped Smith’s identity today
Raised in “humble beginnings and in a Christian-oriented home” he created an organization that continues to guide Smith in life to this day.
“So for me grown up, I was again [in a] A very Christian focused family, like my grandfather was a preacher [and] My grandmother on my father’s side was very active in the church as well, so for us family was everything [and was] Smith explained to Mackenzie. “We had great values, [we] Show respect to everyone you know, treat others the way you want to be treated, basic rules everyone should follow.
The hardships Smith had to overcome in his life — from losing his mother in his teens to having blood clots that could have ended his NFL career before it began — filled him with gratitude and reaffirmed his faith.
“I would say my life has only been shaped by trials and hardships. When I was 15, my mom passed away, and I had to deal with that,” Smith shared. “After I found the right college, the right university to go to, I found Tennessee had a good year, I had blood clots and it affected my health, so over and over I feel like I’m going to get tested, you know you get tested, you get tested from the gut.”
Returning to his roots and putting his faith at the forefront of everything he does has helped him stay on solid ground during the difficult moments in his life.
“For me, it was like I always had to go back to my roots, man,” Smith recalled. “Trusting and believing in God allowing Him to guide my path you know and then staying true to values, man. Staying humble, giving respect to everyone, and showing love anytime I meet anyone new.”
From “not winning anything” to winning b power
Smith has had the opportunity to not only play in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs but also win it — but winning wasn’t always the outcome throughout his football career starting in middle school.
“Going into the Chiefs last year, being able to play in that organization and being able to kind of see the championship culture,” said Smith. “So when I first got there, obviously we didn’t win it the first year. Last year we did. But you know, listen to EB (former offensive coordinator Eric Benemy), like, I remember, one of the early days We got there, talk about the championship standard and our ultimate goals: win the AFC title, get a field advantage, and go win the Super Bowl.”
Smith has been an announcer on the offensive line since day one of his career with the Chiefs.
“Hearing these things, talking about them, and then bringing it to fruition where it’s like, ‘Well, no matter what happens, we have the same goal and the same focus that we’re trying to get to,’” Smith recounts. “It was great to see all of these things come together, to be able to win the Super Bowl. It’s like, Dude, in all my years of sports, I’ve never won a championship. And I always said to my friends, I’m like, ‘Yeah, man, I’ve been playing this whole time. I didn’t win anything. Not middle school, like I won nothing. So I’d love to have a Super Bowl, man. It was like everything coming together, and being able to see my family, my pops, my sister, my girl, you know? It was awesome.”
What Smith wishes people knew about him outside of football
Smith is a huge fan of the anime (which he also discussed with Mackenzie) but it also has an artistic side that fans may not be aware of.
“It’s weird I guess,” Smith explained, “I can kind of be like an artist sometimes where it’s more like painting or drawing anything like that.” “Just a respect for the arts you know, even like representing anything in this space and the whole world, I’ve always been sport centered like there’s more to myself, yeah I mean, so I guess that’s probably the biggest thing I’m trying to figure out now that you You know early my career now where I’m at is where I’m at, it’s like how can I kind of let that side of me that you know come out how can I express myself a little bit better and just put myself out there more as well.”
How much of an ideal location is kansas city suitable for smith
Smith is very complimentary about his new home in Kansas City, and he and MacKenzie gave a special shout out to Lee’s Summit and its community.
“genuinely. [Kansas City is] Fits just right it’s not too big I can slip away from it like it’s almost overwhelming I can get small country sites [like in] “Lee’s Peak,” Smith said to Mackenzie, “you know about Lee’s Peak.” “It feels like it’s perfect, the food there is great. I’m a person, so like my interactions are important to me [day] On a day basis, like if I walk into a gas station, open the door, I want to say thank you, you know or you know, just say what’s going to happen to people on the street. People are so nice, they’re polite but like I love the Kansas City guy, and I think I couldn’t have landed a better place especially early in my career.”
Smith made a promise to his mother before her death that he would obtain his degree
Before his mother passed away, Smith made two important promises to her – first, he would get his college degree, and second, he would play in the NFL.
Smith spoke with Mackenzie about what it meant to keep the two promises.
“The degree was one of the biggest promises I made, so my mother got sick when I was 15, and I remember one of the last times I actually got to visit her, I told her you know one, m [going to] I get my degree because you know my whole life – and you know my sister can tell you exactly the same thing too – we were a very educationally focused family.
Smith went on to say that he had always placed great importance on education, even as a child.
“For me, you always put education first – focusing on that since I was a kid,” he recalls. “So I was like a man [going to] get my degree. That’s why you came to college. I [going to] Complete that and then the second thing, is tell me that [going to] She plays in the NFL, so for me it was like supporting those two things because that was a promise I made to her [and] I didn’t see her again.
“I always want to live my life in a way that really pleases you – so I remember for me I even like going back to my senior year, like that was a big deciding factor for me so I just want to go forward and get my degree moving forward and finish that… that was Really one of the most important things I wanted to accomplish.”