U.S. businessman Fred Smith has died at the age of 80 in Memphis, Tenn. The native of Marks, Miss. owned the Memphis Mad Dogs, a U.S. expansion team that played in the Canadian Football League in 1995.
The team went 9-9 playing out of Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium and narrowly missed the playoffs after finishing fourth in the five-team South Division. Notable players who suited up for the Mad Dogs include quarterback Damon Allen, defensive lineman Rodney Harding, linebacker Greg Battle, and receiver Joe Horn, who later became a four-time Pro Bowl selection with the New Orleans Saints.
Smith founded the FedEx Corporation in 1971 and remained the organization’s CEO until 2022. According to Forbes, the Yale University alumnus had a net worth of $5.3 billion at the time of his death. His son, Arthur Smith, is the offensive coordinator for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the former head coach of the Atlanta Falcons.
In 2023, Smith was a special sponsor of the Memphis Showboats of the USFL. The team continued operations after the USFL’s merger with the XFL and went 2-8 in 2025.
