Grady Smith said it was a shock when he found out the he was being elected into the 2016 Bulldog Football Hall of Fame class on Aug. 12 at Andalusia High School.

“I admit, there aren’t many times in my life that I’ve been caught off guard, but this is one of them,” Smith said. “Even though I don’t live there anymore, I’ve still been keeping track of the Hall of Fame since they started it. It never crossed my mind that I would actually be elected into it. I’m just blown away.”

While at Andalusia, Smith was a four year two-way starter on the gridiron.

“I started out my freshman year as wide receiver and safety,” Smith said. “It wasn’t until my sophomore year that I started playing quarterback.”

Smith said his playing career at Andalusia was memorable.

“I had a great time playing football in high school,” Smith said. “Looking back on it, statistically, we had some good years, but just couldn’t get out of our region,” Smith said. “We had some tough competition back then. My senior year we went 7-3 and missed the playoffs. Three-out-of-four years in high school, the 5A state champions came out of our area.”

Smith said his most memorable game in high school came against Hillcrest-Evergreen where he scored five touchdowns.

In the game, Smith rushed for more than 200 yards, scored three offensive touchdowns, returned a kickoff 90 yards for a touchdown and returned an interception 54 yards for a score.

After graduating from Andalusia, Smith received a scholarship off to play football at Auburn University.

“I received a scholarship from Auburn University, but that was cut short when I hurt my knee,” Smith said.

Smith said he is truly honored to be elected into the Hall of Fame.

“It’s a very humbling experience for me,” Smith said. “It really hadn’t sunk in yet and I feel like I’m way to young to be receiving this. It’s something I will cherish for the rest of my life, and something my kids can look back on.”