Dean Smith is an English professional football coach and former player, currently head coach of American professional football club Charlotte FC. Smith began his playing career as a defender with Walsall in 1989, where he played 166 league and cup matches over five years. After signing for Hereford United in 1994, three years and 146 appearances later, he moved to Leyton Orient. During six years with Orient, he made 309 appearances in all competitions before moving to Sheffield Wednesday in 2003. After one season with Wednesday, he moved to Port Vale, retiring in January 2005. scored 54 goals in 566 league matches during a 16-year career in the Football League.

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Smith began his professional career at Walsall, when the club was relegated from the Third Division in 1989–90 under the management of John Barnwell. They then struggled to adapt to life in the Fourth Division under the new management of Kenny Hibbitt, finishing 16th in 1990–91 and 15th in 1991–92. Saddlers qualified for the play-offs with a fifth-place finish in 1992–93, but were soundly beaten by Crewe Alexandra in the semi-finals. Walsall finished tenth in 1993–94, and Smith left the club, having played a total of 166 games for the Saddlers, scoring two goals. Smith signed for Tommy Taylor’s Leyton Orient in August 1997, for a fee set by a tribunal of £42,500. He scored ten goals in 51 matches in 1997–98; Orient would have finished one point off the Third Division play-offs had they not been deducted three points. He captained Orient to the play-offs in 1998–99 and converted the penalty in the penalty shootout victory over Rotherham United in the semi-finals. However, his team were beaten 1–0 by Scunthorpe United in the final at Wembley. During the campaign, he scored ten goals in 49 appearances.

Orient then struggled during the 1999–2000 season, finishing in the bottom half of the table. Smith was again a key player, scoring six goals in 50 appearances. After finishing fifth in the 2000–01 season, he again captained the “O’s” to the 2001 play-off final, this time at the Millennium Stadium. Despite twice leading Blackpool, they lost 4–2. During the season, he scored five goals in 54 matches. He scored four goals in 51 matches in 2001–02, but Paul Brush’s team struggled and finished mid-table, closer to the relegation zone than the play-offs, although they 16 points ahead of the relegation group. Smith continued to feature heavily in the 2002–03 campaign, although he left the club mid-season. He played 309 matches for the club in all competitions, scoring 43 goals.