Lovie Lee Smith was born on 8 May 1958, in Gladewater, Texas, USA, and is an American Football coach, best known as the head coach of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He previously coached various National Football League (NFL) teams, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Lovie Smith? As of late-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $10 million, mostly earned through a successful coaching career. He reportedly earns around $5 million a year in salary, and has managed to get to the Super Bowl twice in his career. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will increase.
Lovie Smith Net Worth $10 million
Smith attended Big Sandy High School and during his time there earned all-state honors for three years. He played as a linebacker and defensive end, helping his team win three consecutive state championships. In 1975, the school would set a record as they only allowed 15 points all season. After matriculating, he attended the University of Tulsa and became a two-time all American, playing as a defensive back and linebacker.
After graduating, Lovie started to fully pursue a coaching career and went back to his alma matter Big Sandy to work as a defensive coordinator, where he stayed there for a year and then transferred to Cascia Hall Preparatory School to coach wide receivers as well as defensive backs. In 1983, he moved in to college football, working first as an assistant coach at the University of Tulsa for three years before going to the University of Wisconsin-Madison. After a year there, he went to Arizona State University for three years before working at the University of Kentucky. He was then hired by the University of Tennessee and after, Ohio State University in 1995. All positions added to his net worth.
The following year, he started his NFL coaching career, working as a linebacker coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and where he would spend five years before becoming the defensive coordinator of the St. Louis Rams. He helped improve the Rams defense, supporting them to the 2001 NFC Championship and advancing to Super Bowl XXXVI, which they lost against the New England Patriots.
After his successful run with the Rams, he was hired as the head coach of the Chicago Bears. He struggled during his first season with the team due to adjustments with strategies as well as numerous injuries. They bounced back in 2005 despite Rex Grossman being injured during the preseason, and thanks to the Bears improvement, Smith won the Associated Press NFL Coach of the Year Award. After a controversial 2006 season, Smith would lead the team to his first playoff win, going on to defeat the New Orleans Saints at the NFC Championship, before heading to the Super Bowl, where they then lost against the Indianapolis Colts, 29-17.
The Bears then signed Smith to a four-year $22 million contract, which boosted his net worth significantly. The team struggled during the 2007 season mainly because of inconsistencies with their quarterback position, and this continued in the next two years with the Bears missing the playoffs for both seasons. They would then go for a playoff run in 2010 with improvements to the staff, however they would lose in the NFC Championship Game. In 2012, after missing the playoffs once again, Smith was fired, but he was then offered a head coaching job with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, however, after posting an 8-24 record in two years, he was released.
Lovie was then signed by the University of Illinois in early 2016, giving him a six year $21 million contract that continued to boost his net worth. When he was hired by the school, his reputation saw ticket sales for their games start to reinvigorate.
For his personal life, it is known that Lovie has been married to MaryAnne Smith since 1980, and they have three children. He is an active supporter of the American Diabetes Association, and also founded the Lovie and MaryAnne Smith Foundation. He is a devoted Christian.
