| Fred Smith | |
| Fullname: | Frederick Smith |
| Birth Date: | 30 August 1941 |
| Originalteam: | North Reservoir |
| Height: | 196 cm |
| Weight: | 92 kg |
| Statsend: | 1961 |
| Years1: | 1961 |
| Games Goals1: | 1 (0) |
Frederick Smith (30 August 1941 – 21 June 2024) was an Australian rules footballer who played with Collingwood in the Victorian Football League (VFL)[1] and Sturt in the South Australian National Football League (SANFL).[2]
A ruckman, Smith was recruited from North Reservoir Football Club and won two best and fairests for the Collingwood Under 19s[3] before making his senior debut in Round 5 of the 1961 VFL season, against at Collingwood's home ground Victoria Park.[4]
Returning to the Collingwood reserves, Smith's season was impacted by injuries and he moved to Sturt for the 1962 SANFL season.[3] Smith's first season with Sturt saw him become one of the leading ruckmen in the SANFL, winning selection for South Australia and named in the Adelaide Advertisers Team of the Year.[3]
Smith however continued to battle injuries, missing almost the entire 1963 SANFL season to a knee injury and was then hit by a car in early 1964, eventually leading to his retirement.[3]
Following his retirement, Smith ran coaching clinics for juniors, including trips to regional South Australia.[5]
In April 2024, it was revealed that Smith was battling Non-Hodgkin lymphoma but was still well enough to meet some of the current Collingwood squad when they were in Adelaide.[3] Smith died from the cancer in Adelaide, on 21 June 2024, at the age of 82.[2]