John Smoltz, All-Star pitcher for the Atlanta Braves, was the 2005 winner of the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, The award was presented to Smoltz on September 15, 2006 by General Council member Rich Fabritius, Atlanta Alumni Club President Trip Rawls, Gehrig Committee Member Bob Campbell, Director of Alumni Services Sean Wagner, and Leadership Consultant, Kerrie Herren.

Smoltz and his wife, Dyan, created The John and Dyan Smoltz Foundation, with the primary pursuit being quality education.  The foundation has donated over one million dollars to Kings Ridge Christian School in Alpharetta, GA.  Smoltz has also personally raised more than $4 million for the school.   Smoltz began a relationship with the Atlanta Community Food Bank in 1992 and the "John Smoltz Golf Tourney" benefits Atlanta's Table, a Food Bank project that rescues prepared perishable foods from the local hospitality industry and distributes it to local nonprofit hunger-relief agencies.  Another Food Bank project was initially called "Strike Out Hunger," then renamed "Close Out Hunger,” and then renamed back to its original name. The campaign annually raises thousands of dollars and thousands of pounds of food. Since 2001, Smoltz has supported Thanksgiving Dish, an annual event where local reporters, Food Bank staff and professional athletes join forces to cook prepared dishes that benefit local nonprofit hunger-relief agencies. Additionally, Smoltz has helped cook more than 6,000 meals to feed the area's hungry.   Smoltz hosts his annual “John Smoltz Celebrity Pro-AM Golf Tournament” and its proceeds benefit Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.  Each year, he purchases 25 season tickets as part of a program that donates passes to fans that might not otherwise be able to attend a baseball game. He also supports The Alpharetta Police Athletic League (PAL).  Not forgetting his hometown, Smoltz has lent his name to the Capital Area Youth Sports Association (CAYSA) of Lansing, Michigan for their primary tournament. In 2004, CAYSA honored him with their Distinguished Alumni Award.  The Braves have honored Smoltz by nominating him for the Roberto Clemente Award and by presenting him with the Braves Chairman’s Award, which is presented to the Braves player who has exhibited exemplary community service.        

          
On the field, Smoltz is has been dominant as both a starter and a closer.  In three full-seasons as a closer (2003-2004), he had 55, 45 and 44 saves, and in 2004 he posted a 1.12 ERA.  As a starter he has had 11 seasons with 10 or more victories, including going 24-8 in 1996 and 17-3 in 1998. During 13 post-seasons, he has accumulated a 15-4 record with 4 saves and a 2.65 ERA.  He has also appeared in 6 All-Star contests. Smoltz won the Cy Young Award in 1996 and the Silver Slugger Award in 1997.

Smoltz was the fifth member of the Braves franchise to receive the Lou Gehrig Memorial Award, joining Warren Spahn (1961), Hank Aaron (1970), Phil Niekro (1979), and Dale Murphy (1985).