However, the still young Smith obviously had ambition beyond boxes and a little late, at almost nineteen, he won a place to study medicine at Edinburgh University, there qualifying in the three years to 1877 and then four years later as a surgeon. Meantime, at and for the university he had played both footballing codes. To begin with it was the fifteen-man version, where he was full-back, would also be selected for Edinburgh and in 1876 as reserve for the national team. But he had kept his football up by continuing to turn out for Mauchline, with it winning the Ayrshire Cup in 1878 and later that same year was instrumental with fellow medical student and future international, John MacDonald, in the foundation of the University football club, for which he would turn out until 1885.

Meantime, as is the case with medical students and consultants today, Smith was to work in various locations including in Glasgow, where, beginning in 1880, he was recruited by Queen's Park, sometimes playing under a pseudonym. And it was with them that the Scottish Cup would be twice won, in 1881 and 1884. But he had been recruited by The Spiders already as an established international. Caps One and Two were whilst at Mauchline. Caps Three to Nine were and would be with Edinburgh and only the final one in 1884 with the Glasgow club.               

By then Smith was almost thirty and in 1886 he took a post at Moorfields Hospital in London, where, and also in Liverpool, he continued to turn out irregularly with several notable teams until 1888 and a final professional but left-field move. It was back to Scotland, now into general practice and in Kirkcaldy in Fife. There is no obvious explanation either for general practice or Fife but there,, living right in the centre of town, he was stay for the rest of his life, after the two footballs taking up bowls, curling and golf.