Factbox: Profile of Super Bowl MVP winner Malcolm Smith

(Reuters) - Profile of Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who was named on Sunday as the Most Valuable Player in the 48th Super Bowl after helping his team defeat the Denver Broncos 43-8. * Born July 5, 1989 in California. * Smith played for the University of Southern California under Pete Carroll, who is now the coach of the Seattle Seahawks. * He was drafted by the Seahawks as the 242nd overall pick after he initially looked set to miss out on the NFL after not being invited to the combine. * When he was still college, Smith was diagnosed with a rare eating disorder called achalasia, which forces him to eat slowly and digest only small amounts. * After a solid if unspectacular start to his NFL career, Smith proved to be one of the standout performers in Seattle's charge to the Super Bowl. * IN the NFC Conference championship against San Francisco, he caught a deflection from his team mate Richard Sherman for the game winning interception. * In the Super Bowl, at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, he intercepted a pass from Denver quarterback Peyton Manning in the second quarter and sprinted 69 yards for a touchdown that gave his team a 22-0 lead and effectively ended the contest. * He became only the third linebacker to win the award. The others were Chuck Howley of the Dallas Cowboys (1971 Super Bowl) and Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens (2001 Super Bowl). (Compiled by Julian Linden, editing by Gene Cherry)