Down 24-3 against Maryland in 2007, Wake Forest needed a play that could reverse an afternoon. Alphonso Smith Jr. supplied one from his own goal line, carrying an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, the signature return of a ball-hawking cornerback who later set the Atlantic Coast Conference career interceptions record and played four NFL seasons. Smith died in Florida on September 2, 2026, according to TMZ Sports. He was 40.

Smith came from Pahokee, Florida. At Pahokee High School he played quarterback and cornerback, helping a 13-1 team win the Class 2B state championship. His path to Wake Forest ran in part through teammate Antonio Wilson, who had already committed there. Smith signed in 2004 and began building a career defined by taking the ball away.

As a redshirt freshman in 2005, Smith started every game and collected several Freshman All-America honors. His focus on interceptions rather than mere breakups produced eight picks in 2007, a Wake Forest season record that led both the ACC and the nation. Three became touchdowns.

The return against Maryland on September 22, 2007, carried the greatest distance and changed the game. Smith intercepted a pass in the end zone and ran the length of the field. His touchdown began a comeback that ended with Wake Forest winning 31-24 in overtime, as Wake Forest Athletics recorded. The play compressed Smith's value into one sweep: anticipation, possession and sudden points.

Smith added seven interceptions as a senior in 2008. He earned first-team All-America recognition from several selectors and became a finalist for the Bronko Nagurski Trophy. By the end of his college career, he had 21 interceptions, an ACC record that the Wake Forest Sports Hall of Fame still listed as standing in 2026. He also had 61 passes defended.

The Denver Broncos selected Smith 37th overall in the second round of the 2009 NFL Draft. He played 15 games as a rookie, contributing on defense and special teams, before Denver traded him to the Detroit Lions in 2010. Smith led Detroit with five interceptions in his first season there.

That skill surfaced again against Minnesota in 2011. Smith intercepted two passes and returned the second 30 yards for a touchdown in a 34-28 Lions victory. He finished his professional career after the 2012 season with 42 games, eight interceptions, 88 tackles, 19 passes defended and two defensive touchdowns. In a later reflection, Smith called the NFL challenging and uneven, but also the fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Smith also spoke about football as a path to education. At a 2011 Wake Forest conference on college sports, he argued that universities owed athletes a strong education and direction for life after competition. In 2013 he returned to Demon Deacons football as a sideline reporter for the Wake Forest IMG radio crew.

Wake Forest placed Smith in its Sports Hall of Fame in 2022. Before his induction, he told Wake Forest Athletics, "The growth, the gratification and the education that I got at Wake Forest was transformational. What Wake Forest did for me was a lot greater than what I did for them." His place in the record book showed what he gave in return.

Smith's football story endures in a 100-yard swing against Maryland, an ACC record of 21 interceptions, eight NFL takeaways and the broadcasts that brought his perspective back to Wake Forest. Each began with the same uncommon skill: seeing where the ball was going and arriving ready to claim it.