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Frederic Charles Smerlas (born April 8, 1957 in Waltham, Massachusetts) is a former American football player. He played in the National Football League (NFL) at the position of nose tackle.
Smerlas, who is of Greek descent, went to high school in his hometown of Waltham. He later attended Boston College, where he played as a defensive lineman for the college football team.
Smerlas was selected in the second round, 32nd overall, by the Buffalo Bills in the 1979 NFL Draft.[1] Smerlas quickly became a key player in the Bills defense. Together with linebackers Shane Nelson and Jim Haslett, he formed the so-called Bermuda Triangel. He played eleven seasons with the Bills before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 1990. He only stayed here for a year. He played for the New England Patriots in 1991 and 1992 before ending his professional career.
Smerlas appeared in over 200 NFL games during his career. 157 consecutive games as a starter represent an NFL record for the nose tackle position.[2]
Together with his friend and fellow former NFL player Steve DeOssie, he has been running a steakhouse in Lincoln, Rhode Island since March 2007.[3]
On December 16, 2001 he was transferred to the Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame recorded.[4]
Smerlas has been with his wife since February 1988 Kristy Kefalas married.
- ↑ 1979 Buffalo Bills (NFL) on profootballarchieves.com. Retrieved December 14, 2025 (English).
- ↑ Catching up with Fred Smerlas on his health, sweet and sour Bills memories and ‘freak’ Josh Allen on nytimes.com. Retrieved December 14, 2025 (English).
- ↑ Fred & Steve’s Steakhouse on the restaurant website. Retrieved December 14, 2025 (English).
- ↑ Buffalo Bills Wall of Fame on the Buffalo Bills website. Retrieved December 14, 2025 (English).
