PITTSBURGH — Fred Smith, the founder of FedEx and father of Pittsburgh Steelers offensive coordinator Arthur Smith, passed away at the age of 80.

Smith was a Memphis, Tennessee native, which is where Arthur was born. He graduated from Yale in 1966.

A member of the Marine Corps, Smith entered the aviation sales business afterward and, from there, founded FedEx.

Smith stepped down as CEO of FedEx in June 2022. He also had ties to the NFL, being a minority owner of the Washington Commanders, which helped his son launch a successful career as an NFL coach.

“The Washington Commanders mourn the passing of Frederick W. Smith, FedEx founder and executive chairman,” the Commanders said in a statement. “Mr. Smith was a highly respected philanthropist and innovative businessman whose investments once included a minority stake in our team. He also proudly served our country in the US Marine Corps. We send our sincere condolences to Mr. Smith’s family and loved ones, as well as our friends across the FedEx organization.”

Arthur has been the Steelers’ offensive coordinator for the last two seasons, but started his NFL journey in Washington with his father. He started his career as a defensive quality control assistant for the Commanders while his father was a minority owner.

“We all have connections that help you, but with my dad’s involvement up there, and playing in FedEx Field, I just felt like when you’re the quality control, it’s fine,” Smith told ESPN in 2021. “You’re at the entry level, and they’re hard jobs to get and I was lucky to be in that, but to legitimately move up I knew I had to get away.”

12 years later, he’s held a head coaching position and continues to lead Pittsburgh’s offense.