John G. Smith (coach)

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]

John G. Smith

Biographical details
Born	November 24, 1924 Tipton, Oklahoma
Died	June 10, 1998 (aged 73) Spokane, Washington
Alma mater	Central State (OK)
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
Baseball
1959–1962	Central State (OK)
1967–1980	Idaho
Basketball
1958–1962	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/branch	United States Navy
Years of service	1943–1945
Unit	Pacific - PT boats
Battles/wars	World War II

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 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	–
1969	Idaho	32–9	10–2	1st	NCAA Regionals
1970	Idaho	–
1971	Idaho	–
1972	Idaho	–
1973	Idaho	–
1974	Idaho	–
Idaho Vandals (Northern Pacific Conference) (1975–1980)
1975	Idaho	–
1976	Idaho	–
1977	Idaho	–
1978	Idaho	–
1979	Idaho	–
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 (.731)[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. Pierce, Oliver (February 17, 1987). "Retired...but not retiring". Idahonian. (Moscow). p. 6.
3. Meehan, Jim (June 12, 1998). "Colorful ex-Idaho coach dies". Spokesman-Review. (Spokane, Washington). p. C7.
4. "John G. Smith, 73, former UI baseball coach". Lewiston Morning Tribune. (Idaho). (obituary). June 12, 1998. p. 5C.
5. "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.

External links

• John G. Smith at Find a Grave