Career
Smith made his name as an outstanding back pocket player in a successful period for Geelong. He was a brilliant reader of the play and cool in a crisis. Smith commenced his career with West Adelaide in the SANFL as a 16-year-old on 28 April 1945.
Playing primarily as a centre, Smith was an outstanding player.
Also in 1947 Smith represented South Australia at the interstate carnival, attracting the attention of the Victorian club, Geelong. Smith was recruited to Geelong for the 1948 season and played centreman during his first few years in the (then) Victorian Football League.
In 1950, coach Regional Hickey trialled Smith in the back pocket, and he adjusted quickly to the new position. In combination with the dashing Fullback Bruce Morrison he created a sturdy defensive wall, and started the forward moves going again with his precision kicking.
Under their leadership the Geelong defence was so strong that rival coaches had to turn their minds to finding ways through to goal.
"Bernie Smith had a big smile, fair curly hair and looked like a country boy playing a country game of football. lieutenant seemed, however, that everywhere that Bernie went the ball was sure to go. "He was immensely popular around the club and his adopted city of Geelong."
In 1996 Smith was inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
In 2002 he was one of the 113 inaugural inductees into the South Australian Football Hall of Fame.