Geno Smith's Family: All About the Quarterback's Parents, Son and Upbringing

Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith was born to Eugene Smith Jr. and Tracey Sellers in 1990

Geno Smith has quite the support system.

While the Seattle Seahawks quarterback has kept his personal life largely out of the public eye, he has shared glimpses into his relationships with the most important people in his life, including his parents, mom Tracey Sellers and dad Eugene Smith, and son, Seven Santana.

Geno was raised in Florida by his parents, grandparents and uncle, who all nurtured his talent for football early on. A young Geno used to play catch with his uncle Antwon after school, and the two would watch game films of Tom Brady and Peyton Manning as Geno's passion for the sport grew.

Athleticism also runs in the family: The quarterback's great-uncle Danny was an Olympic hurdler, while his great-grandfather found bodybuilding fame in the Bahamas.

“The journey is the reward,” Geno told Fox Sports in 2022, speaking about a mantra of his that pertains to his work and personal life. “All the steps that we take are necessary and we’ve got to continue to walk, continue to move and don’t stay stagnant.”

From raising Geno in Florida to doing charitable work, here is everything to know about Geno Smith's family and their relationship with the NFL quarterback.

His parents had him when they were teenagers

Geno was born on Oct. 10, 1990, as Eugene Cyril Smith III to dad Eugene and mom Tracey. According to ESPN, Eugene and Tracey met through a mutual friend and became friends and study partners. Their relationship turned romantic, and Tracey became pregnant with Geno at 16.

Though Eugene and Tracey are no longer together, they have remained close. In 2013, ESPN reported that Eugene enjoyed holiday dinners with Tracey and her family, while Tracey did Eugene's taxes.

"I don't understand how you can have a kid with someone and not care about them," Eugene told the outlet.

He was raised by his parents, grandparents and uncle

Geno was raised by his parents, his grandparents and his uncle in Miramar, Florida, where he fell in love with football. His nickname came from his father, who was dubbed “Big Geno.”

While Geno showed artistic talent early on, he started playing football in the park with his uncle Antwon after school, which helped foster his love for the sport. (According to ESPN, Antwon would pick Geno up from school while Tracey was still at work.)

The NFL player has also spoken about the impact his maternal grandmother, Mosetta Bratton, had on his life, as she helped raise him with Tracey.

"She was a huge influence in my life," Smith told ESPN of his grandmother, who died in 2012. "She is a big part of the reason I am here today. She always taught me about working hard and chasing after your goals and being a good person."

His great-uncle was a world-class hurdler

Geno’s great-uncle, John Daniel “Danny” Smith, was a world-class hurdler and a three-time All-American at Florida State University. During his collegiate career, Danny won the 1974 and 1975 NCAA Indoor Championships for the 60-yard hurdles — the first person to win two years in a row — and set seven school records and several NCAA records.

Danny also competed in the 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics in the 4x100m relay and the 110-meter hurdles. Additionally, he won a silver medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. In 1981, he was inducted into the Florida State University Hall of Fame. He later coached the FSU hurdlers.

His great-grandfather was a bodybuilder in the Bahamas

The NFL player's great-grandfather, Cyril Smith, was also a talented athlete, having achieved success as a bodybuilder in the Bahamas in the 1950s. The Nassau Guardian once called Cyril “one of the great sports figures in the history of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas.”

He rose to fame in 1950 when bodybuilding first became popular in the Bahamas. In the first Mr. Bahamas competition that year, Cyril took home the title and competed in bodybuilding professionally for more than a decade. He also helped found the Bahamas Bodybuilding Association, which created regulations for the sport.

Following his bodybuilding career, Cyril made a name for himself in boxing as a referee for the biggest matches in the country from the 1960s to the 1990s. He retired after nearly 40 years in the sport.

His mom and grandmother started an organization called Parents Without Partners

Tracey and Geno's paternal grandmother, Joanne Smith, co-founded the nonprofit Parents Without Partners, which supports single parents and their children.

"I thank God for my mom," Tracey told ESPN of her own experience as a single mom. “Because the world is going to put that brand on you. You become a statistic. Our lives could've gone any kind of way. If I didn't have a solid foundation, I could've been a young woman on the street. Maybe Geno wouldn't even have been raised with me."

She continued, "But that wasn't our story. I was a teen mom, and I made it. My life wasn't over. It was just beginning."

He welcomed his son, Seven, in 2019

On July 17, 2019, Geno welcomed his first and only child, a son named Seven Santana Smith.

He announced Seven's birth on X (formerly known as Twitter), writing, "7.17.19 Seven Santana Smith 4:47 pm - greatest day of my life thank you lord."

Since then, however, Geno has kept his son out of the public eye, rarely discussing him on social media or in interviews. In November 2021, the quarterback shared a rare photo of his son from a trip to Disney on X. "Seven the 7th Dwarf aka Sleepy takes," he wrote alongside a photo of Seven napping in a stroller.

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