Greg Smith

Who is Greg Smith?

Greg Smith, is a former American athlete who is famous for playing one spectacularly unsuccessful game for the Newcastle Knights in Australia's National Rugby League in 1999.

After coaching the American Tomahawks in the Australian Rugby League's World Sevens tournament in 1997, Warren Ryan became keen to recruit an NFL player when he took charge of the Newcastle club as its full-time coach two years later.

In the lead-up to this season, Smith somehow managed to convince Ryan that he had played two seasons in the NFL with the Philadelphia Eagles; in reality he had never played a down of professional football. In Round 3, Smith was named to make his debut against the Canterbury Bulldogs after injuries to key players, but was directly responsible for a succession of mistakes in the second half which caused the Knights to sacrifice a 24-4 lead, and ultimately lose the match 28-26. Smith's ineptitude, and Ryan's selection of him, after his NFL credentials were revealed by the local media to have been completely fictional, were roundly criticised after the match, and it became the first and only game he played for the club.

As of 2012, no American has since played in the NRL.