Athletics Feature
Lasting Legacy
After More than 42 Years, Fred Smith Leaves an
Indelible Mark on SHU Athletics
By Doug Goodnough
I
n more than 30 years of coach-
ing, Fred Smith never needed to use a
whistle.
His booming voice, commanding
personality and imposing 6-foot, 5-inch
frame were more than enough to get the
attention of his student-athletes, coach-
es, referees and anyone else within ear-
shot.
After more than 42 years representing
Siena Heights University Athletics as a
coach and administrator—including the
last 36 as athletic director—Fred Smith
retired on June 30, 2019.
That means it will be a little quieter
on the Siena Heights University campus.
But his indelible legacy will not be
silenced.
His 21-year men’s basketball head
coaching career included 527 wins, the
most in the institution’s history. During
his tenure, Siena Heights was one of the
winningest small-school programs in the
country. The Saints recorded five 30-win
seasons, 12 appearances in the NAIA
National Tournament and eight WHAC
titles. His 1996-97 squad finished as the
NAIA Division II national runners-up,
losing the title game to Bethel College
95-94.
After being named WHAC Coach of
the Year four times, and the NAIA Re-
gional Coach of the Year in 1989, Smith
was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame
in 2006. He is the only Siena Heights
coach or student-athlete to receive the
honor.
16 | Reflections Summer ’19
In an unprecedented move, the
University will honor Smith by being
the lone inductee into the SHU Athletic
Hall of Fame during Homecoming Week-
end 2019, which is also the University’s
100th Anniversary.
Learning on the Job
The 65-year-old Smith has also over-
seen unprecedented growth in the SHU
athletic department. He was on campus
as Siena Heights was just beginning
intercollegiate athletics. And he helped
usher in a new era of cutting-edge sports
to campus, including football, bowl-
ing, lacrosse, competitive cheer and
dance, and most recently, eSports. Siena
Heights currently has some of the finest
athletic facilities for an institution its
size in the Midwest region.
After being named athletic director in
1983, he was instrumental in the forma-
tion of the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic
Conference—of which Siena Heights is a
founding member. He was twice named
the WHAC Athletic Director of the Year.
In fact, the WHAC renamed its all-sports
award the Fred Smith All-Sports Trophy
for his contributions to the conference.
Smith, an Adrian native who grew up
a short distance from the SHU campus
and was educated by the
Adrian Dominican Sisters
at St. Joseph Academy,
decided on a different path
after he graduated (left)
from Adrian High School.
After a short stint at Northwood
University, Smith transferred to Adrian
College, where he played basketball and
earned his bachelor’s degree.
“I just didn’t know what I wanted
to do,” said Smith, who got married two
weeks after college graduation and im-
mediately started work in his family’s
nursery business. “I wanted to coach
somehow, but didn’t know how to go
about doing it.”
He eventually heard about an open
position in the Siena Heights Admissions
Office, and decided to apply. On July 19,
1976, he signed his Siena Heights con-
tract, agreeing to an annual salary of
$8,000 per year.
“God bless, they put up with me,”
said Smith, who admitted he was very
inexperienced coming into the position.
“I learned on the job.”
A year or so later, his coaching wish
came true, taking on the additional du-
ties of Siena Heights head golf coach
and assistant basketball coach.
“I thought I had the best job in the
world,” he said.