Home › Archive › Jeff Smith Press Kit: Approved Bios and Facts
This press kit gives journalists, editors and event organizers approved short, medium and long biographies of Grand Master Jeff Smith, the facts to use, and how to reach his office. Please use “Grand Master” (two words) and “10th Degree Black Belt.”
Short bio (50 words)
Grand Master Jeff Smith is a 10th Degree Black Belt in the Jhoon Rhee lineage and the first Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Light Heavyweight Champion (1974), who retired with a 32–1 record and 16 knockouts. He is Chief of Instruction at Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery and President of Sports Operations at PKA Worldwide.
Medium bio (150 words)
Grand Master Jeff Smith, “The DC Bomber,” has trained in martial arts since 1965, when he joined the Jhoon Rhee club at Texas A&I University. A national point-fighting champion, he became the first Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Light Heavyweight Champion on September 14, 1974, defended the title seven times and retired with a 32–1 record and 16 knockouts. He was the first recipient of the Bruce Lee Award. From 1970 to 1985 he rose to vice president of the Jhoon Rhee Institute in Washington, D.C., and in 1981 he founded World Champion Jeff Smith Karate. He coached U.S. teams at the WAKO World Championships. A 10th Degree Black Belt and member of the Taekwondo Hall of Fame, he is Chief of Instruction at Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, President of Sports Operations at PKA Worldwide, and co-author of Extraordinary Teaching with Stephen Oliver.
Long bio (500 words)
Grand Master Jeff Smith, “The DC Bomber,” is one of the founding champions of American full-contact karate and one of the martial arts industry’s most experienced school operators.
He began training in 1965, at about fourteen, in the karate club at Texas A&I University in Kingsville, Texas, part of the network that Grand Master Jhoon Rhee built with Allen Steen and Pat Burleson. He earned his black belt in 1969 and in 1970 moved to Washington, D.C., at Rhee’s invitation.
As a point fighter he won national light-heavyweight titles at the Top 10 Nationals in 1972 and 1973, beat Bill Wallace and Howard Jackson, and became the first recipient of the Bruce Lee Award, selected by Linda Lee and Professional Karate magazine. Professional Karate named him the number-one point fighter in the United States for 1974.
On September 14, 1974, at the Los Angeles Sports Arena, Smith became the first Professional Karate Association (PKA) World Light Heavyweight Champion, knocking out Budimir Vejnovic and outpointing Wally Slocki on a night broadcast by ABC. On October 1, 1975, he beat Karriem Allah for a heavyweight title sanctioned by Don King’s organization at the Capital Centre, on the closed-circuit card for the Ali–Frazier “Thrilla in Manila,” an event seen by an estimated one billion viewers worldwide. He defended his world title seven times and retired with a professional record of 32–1 with 16 knockouts.
Outside the ring, Smith spent fifteen years as an executive of the Jhoon Rhee Institute, rising from instructor to vice president. He trained its instructors and managers and ran the retention and management systems that later spread through the industry. In 1981 he founded World Champion Jeff Smith Karate in Northern Virginia, which grew to multiple schools. He coached U.S. teams at the WAKO World Championships for about a decade, including the 1987 team that swept all three World Team Cups in Munich.
Smith is a 10th Degree Black Belt and Grand Master, promoted by the Professional Karate Commission in 2016. His honors include the Black Belt Hall of Fame, the Taekwondo Hall of Fame, the Martial Arts Professional Lifetime Achievement Award and the Joe Lewis Eternal Warrior Award.
Today he is Chief of Instruction at Mile High Karate and at Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, where he coaches school owners on teaching, retention, renewals and leadership, and President of Sports Operations at PKA Worldwide. He is the co-author, with Grand Master Stephen Oliver, of Extraordinary Teaching (2026), and in April 2026 he promoted Oliver to 10th Degree.
Fact sheet
| Fact | Approved wording |
|---|---|
| Name | Grand Master Jeff Smith |
| Nickname | “The DC Bomber” |
| Rank | 10th Degree Black Belt (2016) |
| In martial arts since | 1965 |
| World title | First PKA World Light Heavyweight Champion, September 14, 1974 |
| Record | 32–1, 16 knockouts; seven world title defenses |
| 1975 bout | Beat Karriem Allah for a Don King–sanctioned heavyweight title at the Capital Centre, on the Thrilla in Manila closed-circuit card |
| Current roles | Chief of Instruction, Mile High Karate; Chief of Instruction, Martial Arts Wealth Mastery; President of Sports Operations, PKA Worldwide |
| Book | Extraordinary Teaching (2026), with Stephen Oliver |
Photo
Press contact
Office: 1-720-256-0208 · JeffSmith@MartialArtsWealth.com