Jump to content

Tom Smith (baseball coach, born 1942)

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Tom Smith
Biographical details
Born (1942-12-09) December 9, 1942 (age 81)
Coldwater, Michigan, U.S.
Alma materMichigan State University
Playing career
1962Dublin Braves
Position(s)Catcher
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1964–1982Michigan State (asst.)
1983–1995Michigan State
Head coaching record
Overall377–332–2
TournamentsB1G: 4–10
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
  • 2× Big Ten Coach of the Year (1988, 1992)

Thomas Woodrow Smith (born December 9, 1942) is a former American college baseball coach and catcher. He played professional baseball in 1962, before retiring due to injury. He was the head baseball coach at Michigan State University from 1983 to 1995.

Playing career

[edit]

Smith attended Coldwater High School in Coldwater, Michigan, where he played baseball, basketball and football. On August 17, 1961, it was reported that Smith had signed a professional baseball contract with the Milwaukee Braves.[1] Smith began his professional career with the Dublin Braves of the Georgia–Florida League, where he hit .243 with 3 home runs and 35 RBIs. Following an injury plagued 1963 season, Smith turned down a contract from the Los Angeles Angels and retired from professional baseball.[2]

Coaching career

[edit]

Smith worked as a student assistant under Danny Litwhiler until he completed his degree. In 1967, he worked as the freshman coach as well as an assistant with the varsity. On March 12, 1982, Smith was promoted to head coach after Litwhiler announced his retirement.[3]

Head coaching record

[edit]
Statistics overview
Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason
Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1983–1995)
1983 Michigan State 22–32 8–6 2nd (East) Big Ten Tournament
1984 Michigan State 32–26 8–9 2nd (East) Big Ten Tournament
1985 Michigan State 22–35 2–14 5th (East)
1986 Michigan State 28–26–1 7–9 T-3rd (East)
1987 Michigan State 34–20 6–10 4th (East)
1988 Michigan State 41–20 16–12 3rd Big Ten Tournament
1989 Michigan State 25–26 13–15 7th
1990 Michigan State 28–24 13–15 7th
1991 Michigan State 28–25–1 12–16 8th
1992 Michigan State 36–19 17–11 3rd Big Ten Tournament
1993 Michigan State 31–23 12–16 T-8th
1994 Michigan State 26–29 13–15 T-3rd Big Ten Tournament
1995 Michigan State 24–27 12–16 T-8th
Michigan State: 377–332–2 139–164
Total: 377–332–2

      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

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Coldwater's Tom Smith Turns Pro". www.newspapers.com. Battle Creek Enquirer. August 17, 1961. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  2. ^ "Thomas W. Smith Endowed Scholarship in Kinesiology". www.education.msu.edu. Michigan State University. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
  3. ^ "Michigan State assistant baseball coach Tom Smith has been..." www.upi.com. United Press International, Inc. March 12, 1982. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
[edit]