Las Vegas Raiders RB Coach Learns Lifelong Mentor Sherman Smith is His Biological Father
Written by admin on November 6, 2025
Deland McCullough was stunned to discover his biological father was the man who recruited him to college and had been a trusted friend for 28 years.
According to TODAY, McCullough, who is currently the running backs coach of the Las Vegas Raiders, shared the remarkable story of how he discovered that Sherman Smith, his longtime mentor and former coach, was his biological father.
McCullough was raised by his adoptive mother, Adele, after being orphaned at birth. At 17 years old, McCullough was recruited by Smith to attend Miami University, his alma mater.
“The statement I would make to the players as I coached them [was], ‘You may not be looking for a father, but I’m going to treat you like my son,’” Smith recalled.
Smith played eight seasons in the NFL with the Seattle Seahawks and San Diego Chargers.
McCullough said he felt a strong “connection” to Smith at the time, especially after suffering a “catastrophic knee injury” in a final preseason game with Smith as a coach. He noted that Smith had become “the steady father figure that he never had.”
Years later, McCullough sought to find his biological father. His searching led him to discover that his birth mother lives a few minutes away from him and set up a meeting with her.
“So I said, ‘Well shoot, who’s my dad, you know?” he recalled. “And she said, ‘Your dad is a man named Sherman Smith.’”
Amazingly, Smith knew McCullough’s birth mother when they were teenagers, but had no idea she had a child.
“He opened the door, and he just opened his arms. He said, ‘My son.’”
Smith said the discovery had to be “divine intervention.”
“There’s no way you could write this, all these connections. You just have to believe that this is God directing our steps,” he said.
The remarkable story of McCullough and Smith was the subject of a book and now their story is being considered for a feature film.
“I want Denzel Washington to play my part,” Smith joked. “I’m putting it out there, Denzel. I want you to know that.”
