John G. Smith
Biographical details
Born(1924-11-24)November 24, 1924
Tipton, Oklahoma, U.S.
DiedJune 10, 1998(1998-06-10) (aged 73)
Spokane, Washington, U.S.
Alma materUniversity of Central Oklahoma
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Baseball
1959–1962Central State (OK)
1967–1980Idaho
Basketball
1958–1962Central State (OK)
Football
1958–1961Central State (OK) (asst.)
1965–1966Idaho (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/branch United States Navy
Years of service1943–1945
UnitPacific - PT boats
Battles/warsWorld 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 southwestern Idaho sight unseen in 1962 and coached at Caldwell High School before moving north to the Palouse at Moscow.[2][3] After a short stint in private business, he was hired at the University of Idaho in early 1965 as an assistant coach in football, leading the defensive line under newly-promoted head coach Steve Musseau.[6][7][8][9]

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 1967, Idaho repeated as champions,[15][16] and he was the conference coach of the year.[17] The 1969 team won another Big Sky title and advanced to the regional finals, falling to eventual national champion Arizona State.[18][19][20]

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

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Central State Bronchos (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  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament champion

College basketball

Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Central State Bronchos (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  
      Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
      Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion
      Conference tournament 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

  1. ^ Goodwin, Dale (May 3, 1979). "Smith has Idaho baseball winning again". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 31.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g Pierce, Oliver (February 17, 1987). "Retired...but not retiring". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 6.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Meehan, Jim (June 12, 1998). "Colorful ex-Idaho coach dies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C7.
  4. ^ a b "John G. Smith, 73, former UI baseball coach". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). (obituary). June 12, 1998. p. 5C.
  5. ^ a b c "John Smith". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. (Idaho-Washington). (obituary). June 11, 1998. p. 3A.
  6. ^ "New UI coach completes staff". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). February 9, 1965. p. 12.
  7. ^ "four Idaho grid assistants named". Lewiston Morning Tribune. February 9, 1965. p. 8.
  8. ^ "Musseau names Idahoans and Californians to new staff". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). February 9, 1965. p. 6.
  9. ^ "Football: 1965 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1966. p. 184.
  10. ^ "Idaho hoop pick due; Anderson seen choice". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 8, 1966. p. 25.
  11. ^ "Idaho picks hoop coach". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). September 10, 1966. p. 11.
  12. ^ "Vandals football assistant to be named baseball coach". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). November 20, 1966.
  13. ^ "John Smith gets Idaho job". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). November 24, 1966. p. 18.
  14. ^ "John Smith lands new coaching job". Idaho Argonaut. (Moscow). (University of Idaho). November 29, 1966. p. 6.
  15. ^ "Idaho's king of Big Sky". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 22, 1967. p. 11.
  16. ^ "Vandals take Big Sky title". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). May 22, 1967. p. 14.
  17. ^ "Baseball: 1967 season". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook. 1967. p. 251.
  18. ^ "Vandals Arizona-bound". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 29, 1969. p. 13.
  19. ^ "Vandals seeks to rebound". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). May 31, 1969. p. 11.
  20. ^ "ASU ekes out 3-2 win over Idaho". Spokesman Review. (Spokane, Washington). June 1, 1969. p. 2-sports.
  21. ^ "Idaho off probation, loop titles dwindle". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 5, 1974. p. 13.
  22. ^ "Baseball axed in Big Sky". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 29, 1974. p. 15.
  23. ^ "Idaho, Gonzaga join new baseball circuit". Spokane Daily Chronicle. (Washington). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 16.
  24. ^ "Portland State, Portland to play in baseball league". The Bulletin. (Bend, Oregon). Associated Press. June 24, 1974. p. 12.
  25. ^ Jordan, Jeff (January 19, 1975). "Idea's time has arrived". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. 3, sports.
  26. ^ "Baseball's 'out' at Idaho". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 13, 1980. p. 19.
  27. ^ "2017 UCO Baseball Media Guide" (PDF). Mike Kirk. 2017. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  28. ^ "Standings: Northern Pacific". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). May 13, 1980. p. 20.
  29. ^ "Is it Vandals' swan song today?". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 10, 1980. p. 3C.
  30. ^ "Put the blame on rain". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). May 11, 1980. p. 3D.
  31. ^ "2014–15 UCO Men's Basketball Media Guide". Mike Kirk. 2014. Retrieved December 7, 2017.
  32. ^ "Gregg Smith". ESPN. Retrieved September 4, 2017.
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