a t h l e t i c s
Alumnus Tubby Smith Inducted to UK Hall of Fame
Coaching Career Stretches to Texas Orlando “Tubby” Smith, one of High Point University’s most notable alumni, received yet another honor for his illustrious career before this basketball season started. Now the head coach at Texas Tech, Smith was inducted to the University of Kentucky Hall of Fame honoring his successful run as head coach there from 1997–2007, which included the 1998 NCAA title. An honorable mention All-American out of Great Mills High School in Maryland, Smith‘s career in college basketball started as a freshman at HPU in 1969. He was a guard for the Panthers and averaged 13.3 points and 5.2 rebounds during the 1969 –70 season. Smith started off his sophomore year at HPU recovering from wrist surgery, but he still managed 12.6 points per game. He was one of HPU’s top scoring threats his junior and senior seasons, averaging 16.4 points on 45.9 percent shooting in 1971 – 72 and averaging 17.3 points on 49.2 percent shooting along with 5.2 rebounds in 1972 – 73. Smith scored 1,589 points in his four seasons for the Panthers, which still ranks seventh in team history, before moving on to become a national champion head coach. His college days kick-started Smith’s coaching career. Smith played under head coach J.D. Barnett his junior year at High Point, then Barnett gave Smith his first college coaching job in 1979. Barnett was head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University and Smith served as his assistant from 1979 – 86. Smith went on to become one of the top college basketball coaches in the nation with head coaching stops at Tulsa (1991 – 95), Georgia (1995 – 97), Kentucky (1997 – 2007), Minnesota (2007 – 13) and now Texas Tech. Among Smith‘s many exploits, he was named National Coach of the Year and SEC Coach of the Year in 1998, 2003 and 2005.
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Known for speaking fondly of his days at High Point, Smith has stayed in touch with his alma mater. The university hosted “Tubby Smith Night,” which included a halftime celebration during the HPU men’s basketball game against Wake Forest on Dec. 5, 2011. Now that Smith has continued his career in Lubbock, Texas, Panther fans will have another team to route for this season: the Red Raiders. But Coach Smith will always be a Purple Panther. ■ Right: HPU alumnus Tubby Smith‘s coaching highlights include the 1998 NCAA title while at Kentucky, and he is now the head coach at Texas Tech.