John G. Smith (coach)
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | November 24, 1924 Central State (OK) |
| Football | |
| 1958–1961 | Central State (OK) (asst.) |
| 1965–1966 | Idaho (asst. - DL) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Big Sky: 1967, 1969 | |
| Awards | |
| Big Sky: coach of the year - baseball: 1967 | |
John G. Smith | |
|---|---|
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Navy |
| Years of service | 1943–1945 |
| Unit | Pacific - PT boats |
| Battles/wars | World War II |
John G. Smith (November 24, 1924 – June 10, 1998) was an American college baseball coach, the head coach at the University of Idaho for fourteen seasons. He also coached football and basketball.[1][2][3][4]
Early years
Born in Tipton, Oklahoma, to Will and Margie Smith, he attended its public schools.[4][5] Smith enlisted in the U.S. Navy during World War II as a teenager and served on PT boats in the Pacific. He returned to Oklahoma to attend college at Central State University in Edmond and lettered in four sports.[2][3]
Coaching
Smith was a coach at Capital Hill High School in Oklahoma City and then returned to his alma mater in Edmond in 1958 as head coach in basketball and baseball at the NAIA level, and an assistant in football.[2][3]
Idaho
Smith moved his family to
In September 1966, Wayne Anderson was promoted to head basketball coach, and stepped down after nine seasons as head baseball coach.[10][11] In late November, Smith was named head baseball coach, which included assistant coaching in basketball, and he stepped away from the football program after two seasons.[12][13][14] The Vandals had won the first Big Sky baseball title in 1964 and again in 1966, when they were invited to the NCAA postseason for the first time and advanced to the regional finals.
In Smith's first season in
The Big Sky discontinued baseball (and four other sports) after 1974,[21][22] and Idaho moved to the new Northern Pacific Conference (NorPac) for the 1975 season.[23][24][25] Citing budget constraints in 1980, Idaho (and Boise State) dropped the sport,[26] and Smith continued in the UI athletic department for the next seven years as equipment manager.[2][3]
When John L. Smith (b.1948) arrived on campus as an assistant football coach in 1982, both began using their middle initial to avoid confusion.
Head coaching record
College baseball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference ) (1959–1961)
| |||||||||
| 1959 | Central State | 12–10 | |||||||
| 1960 | Central State | 13–9 | |||||||
| 1961 | Central State | 6–9 | |||||||
| Central State: | 31–27 (.534)[27] | ||||||||
| Idaho Vandals (Big Sky Conference) (1967–1974) | |||||||||
| 1967 | Idaho | 21–9–1 | 7–1 | 1st | NCAA Regionals | ||||
| 1968 | Idaho | 17–16 | |||||||
| 1969 | Idaho | 30–10 | 10–2 | 1st | NCAA Regionals | ||||
| 1970 | Idaho | 21–20–2 | 4–8 | ||||||
| 1971 | Idaho | 28–15–1 | 7–3 | ||||||
| 1972 | Idaho | 21–17 | 6–4 | ||||||
| 1973 | Idaho | 15–14–1 | |||||||
| 1974 | Idaho | 18–19 | |||||||
| Idaho Vandals (Northern Pacific Conference) (1975–1980) | |||||||||
| 1975 | Idaho | 12–21–3 | |||||||
| 1976 | Idaho | 11–29 | |||||||
| 1977 | Idaho | 13–29 | 8–16 | ||||||
| 1978 | Idaho | 11–25 | 5–15 | ||||||
| 1979 | Idaho | 24–28–1 | 11–9 | ||||||
| 1980 | Idaho | 17–31–1 | 11–15 | 6th [28][29][30] | |||||
| Idaho: | 261–281–7 (.482) | ||||||||
| Total: | 292–308–7 (.487) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
College basketball
| Season | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Postseason | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Oklahoma Collegiate Athletic Conference ) (1958–1962)
| |||||||||
| 1958–59 | Central State | 21–10 | 1st | NAIA Second Round
| |||||
| 1959–60 | Central State | 16–7 | |||||||
| 1960–61 | Central State | 21–7 | NAIA Elite Eight
| ||||||
| 1961–62 | Central State | 12–14 | |||||||
| Central State: | 70–38 (.648)[31] | ||||||||
| Total: | 70–38 (.648) | ||||||||
|
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
| |||||||||
Personal life
Smith married Rosalie Tucker in 1944 and they had three sons.[2][5] The eldest, Gregg (b.1946), was a longtime assistant football coach under Dennis Erickson, from Idaho in 1982 through 2011 at Arizona State.[32]
Smith was known for his deadpan dry wit and was often the master of ceremonies for athletic department functions.[3] He was an avid fisherman and enjoyed golf.[2] Smith and his wife continued to reside in Moscow following his retirement from the university in 1987.
Death
Retired for over a decade, Smith contracted pneumonia and died from complications at age 73 at Sacred Heart Hospital in Spokane;[5] he was buried at the city cemetery in Moscow, Idaho.
References
- ^ Goodwin, Dale (May 3, 1979). "Smith has Idaho baseball winning again". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 31.
- ^ a b c d e f g Pierce, Oliver (February 17, 1987). "Retired...but not retiring". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 6.
- ^ a b c d e f Meehan, Jim (June 12, 1998). "Colorful ex-Idaho coach dies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C7.
- ^ a b "John G. Smith, 73, former UI baseball coach". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). (obituary). June 12, 1998. p. 5C.
- ^ a b c "John Smith". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). (obituary). June 11, 1998. p. 3A.
- ^ "New UI coach completes staff". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 9, 1965. p. 12.
- ^ "four Idaho grid assistants named". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 9, 1965. p. 8.
- ^ "Musseau names Idahoans and Californians to new staff". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). February 9, 1965. p. 6.
- ^ "Football: 1965 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1966. p. 184.
- ^ "Idaho hoop pick due; Anderson seen choice". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 8, 1966. p. 25.
- ^ "Idaho picks hoop coach". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 10, 1966. p. 11.
- ^ "Vandals football assistant to be named baseball coach". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 20, 1966.
- ^ "John Smith gets Idaho job". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 24, 1966. p. 18.
- ^ "John Smith lands new coaching job". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). November 29, 1966. p. 6.
- ^ "Idaho's king of Big Sky". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 22, 1967. p. 11.
- ^ "Vandals take Big Sky title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). May 22, 1967. p. 14.
- ^ "Baseball: 1967 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1967. p. 251.
- ^ "Vandals Arizona-bound". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 29, 1969. p. 13.
- ^ "Vandals seeks to rebound". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). May 31, 1969. p. 11.
- ^ "ASU ekes out 3-2 win over Idaho". Spokesman Review. (Spokane, Washington). June 1, 1969. p. 2-sports.
- ^ "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 5, 1974. p. 13.
- ^ "Baseball axed in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 29, 1974. p. 15.
- ^ "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.
- ^ "Portland State, Portland to play in baseball league". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 12.
- ^ Jordan, Jeff (January 19, 1975). "Idea's time has arrived". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 3, sports.
- ^ "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 13, 1980. p. 19.
- ^ "2017 UCO Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). Mike Kirk. 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Standings: Northern Pacific". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 13, 1980. p. 20.
- ^ "Is it Vandals' swan song today?". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 10, 1980. p. 3C.
- ^ "Put the blame on rain". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 11, 1980. p. 3D.
- ^ "2014–15 UCO Men's Basketball Media Guide". Mike Kirk. 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
- ^ "Gregg Smith". ESPN. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
