Jeff Smith’s Point-Fighting Career, 1966–1974

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Before he turned professional, Jeff Smith was one of the top point fighters in American karate. He won national light-heavyweight titles at the Top 10 Nationals in 1972 and 1973, was grand champion of the 1972 Pan American Championships, beat Bill Wallace and Howard Jackson in 1973, and by the end of 1974 Professional Karate magazine had named him the number-one point fighter in the United States.^1,2,3,4

Where did Jeff Smith start competing?

His first tournament was in Houston in 1966, and he competed across Texas, Oklahoma and Louisiana before moving to Washington in 1970.^5,4 From Washington he flew to tournaments almost every weekend: “There’s not a state in the country where I haven’t competed in a point fight.”⁴ In 1971 he placed second at Mike Warren’s tournament in Akron.³

1972: national champion

Event	Result
Pan American Championships, Baltimore	Grand Champion³
North American Championships, Toronto	Heavyweight champion³
Top 10 Nationals, St. Louis	Light-heavyweight champion, beating Travis Everitt and Bill Josaitis¹

At St. Louis in 1972, Smith and Pat Worley were the first to wear Jhoon Rhee’s Safe-T pads in competition.⁶ That December he was on the cover of Black Belt, in action against John Worley.^7,8

1973: the most decorated year

Event	Result
U.S. Pro-Am, Ocean City, May 31	Beat Bill Wallace 5–1, Fred Wren, Darnell Garcia and Howard Jackson³
U.S. Open Professional, Ocean City	Beat Howard Jackson 7–6 in the final³
Allen Steen’s 10th U.S. Championships, Dallas	On the Washington team coached by Jhoon Rhee; beat Demetrius Havanas 3–0; D.C. beat Texas 6–4⁹
Top 10 Nationals, St. Louis	Second straight national light-heavyweight title, beating James Stevens, John Natividad and Jim Butin²
Battle of Atlanta	Beat John Natividad and Everett Eddy on the way to the final³
Henry Cho’s Tournament of Champions	Beat Doo Han Kim and William Oliver on the way to the final³

Did Jeff Smith win the Bruce Lee Award?

Yes. Smith is the first recipient of the Bruce Lee Award, the Professional Karate magazine trophy honoring Bruce Lee, selected by Linda Lee and the magazine.^10,11 A translation of Linda Lee’s statement records that it was presented after a Dallas tournament to “Jeff Smith of Washington, D.C.”¹²

1974: number one

Event	Result
Battle of Atlanta, April 20	Beat Johnny Lee and Everett Eddy³
European tour, West Berlin, May 17	Beat Harald Schrader 5–0 with a U.S. team of Lewis, Wallace, Jackson and Butin^3,13
Amsterdam	Stopped Kyokushin fighter Peter Kredijt³
Karate Olympics, Houston, July 19	Beat Fred Wren; division title^3,14
Ed Parker’s Internationals, Long Beach	Beat Darnell Garcia; grand title^3,14
Mid-Canadian Professionals	Grand title¹⁴

Backkicks’ history of the 1974 European tour says the Americans “outscored the Europeans without even being hit once in return.”¹³ Professional Karate named Smith the number-one point fighter in the United States for 1974, and he went into the first World Professional Karate Championships in September as one of America’s selected fighters.^4,14 See 1974 World Professional Karate Championships.

Frequently asked questions

Was Jeff Smith a national karate champion?

Yes. He won the national light-heavyweight title at the Top 10 Nationals in St. Louis in 1972 and 1973 and was named the number-one point fighter in the United States for 1974.^1,2,4

Did Jeff Smith beat Bill Wallace?

Yes. He beat Bill Wallace 5–1 at the U.S. Pro-Am in Ocean City on May 31, 1973.³

Work with Grand Master Jeff Smith

School owners can book a free Growth Diagnostic: 30 minutes with Grand Master Jeff Smith and 30 minutes with Grand Master Stephen Oliver. See how it works.