Issue link: http://catalog.e-digitaleditions.com/i/59355
2012 FURMAN UNIVERSITY p BASEBALL the $2 million Furman Baseball Complex, featuring coaches' offices, locker rooms from coaches and players, a player lounge, training and equipment rooms, laundry, and spacious indoor batting and pitching cages. Phase 2 will include a new press box, concourse, concessions, public restrooms, and additional chair back seating. In addition to raising funds for facility improvements, Smith also initiated in 1998 the "Upstate Diamond Classic," a much- anticipated annual fund-raising dinner that has featured many outstanding speakers and former baseball greats such as Tommy John, Bobby Thompson, Bobby Richardson, Alvin Dark, Brett Butler, Phil Niekro, John Smoltz, and Jeff Francoeur, as well as renown baseball broadcasters Pete van Wieren, Skip Carey, hall of famer Marty Brennaman, and highly acclaimed novelist and collegiate baseball fan John Grisham. A 1979 Furman graduate with a degree in political science/ education, Smith was a three-year starter and three-time letter- winner as a shortstop for the Paladins from 1975-77. As a junior, in 1976, he batted .245 and helped lead Furman to a 23-16 record, SoCon title, and an appearance in the NCAA Atlantic Regional, where the Paladins defeated both Virginia Tech and South Carolina before being eliminated by Clemson. That season still stands as one of the finest in Furman baseball history and was only finally surpassed in wins by Smith's 1997 Paladin squad. In addition to enjoying a fine baseball career, Smith proved to be an outstanding basketball player during his tenure at Furman. Known for his competitiveness and tenacity, he was a four-year starter at point guard and played on squads that twice won SoCon championships and competed in the NCAA Tournament. As a senior he captained Furman's 1977-78 team that defeated Clemson, as well as North Carolina and North Carolina State in the North-South Doubleheader. Those wins still sta2nd as the last Furman triumphs over the Tigers, Tar Heels, and Wolfpack in basketball. Following the 1977 baseball season, he was selected by the Philadelphia Phillies in the ninth round of the Major League Baseball Draft and played on various minor league squads that also included future major leaguers Ryne Sandburg, Lonnie Smith, Ozzie Virgil, and Bob Walk. He advanced as high as the Phillies' AAA Oklahoma City affiliate before retiring as a player in 1981. He remained with the Phillies organization for the 1982 season, managing squads in both Sarasota, Fla., and Helena, Mont. Shortly before concluding his tenure in professional baseball in 1982, Smith assumed the basketball head coaching job at Miami University in Middletown, Ohio. From 1981-87 he posted a 116-59 record and won three conference championships. While serving as basketball coach at Miami University-Middletown, he began his career as a teacher and administrator in the public schools in 1984, when he assumed the baseball head coaching duties at Middletown High School. While there, he directed his team to a 42-32 record over a three-year period. Coach Years Seasons FURMAN COACHING RECORDS Overall L W T SoCon .Pct W L (Unknown) .............5 ........1896-00 ...................................14 ........ 11 ........ 0 ........560 C.M. McGee ............1 ........1901 ..........................................8 .......... 1 ........ 0 ........899 J.R. Sullivan ............1 ........1902 ..........................................2 .......... 4 ........ 0 ........333 B.E. Geer .................1 ........1903 ..........................................1 .......... 3 ........ 0 ........250 W.T. Everett ............1 ........1904 ..........................................9 .......... 3 ........ 0 ........750 Bernie McCay .........1 ........1905 ..........................................8 .......... 3 ........ 0 ........727 J.C. Osteen ..............1 ........1906 ..........................................6 .......... 6 ........ 1 ........500 James Price ............1 ........1907 ..........................................4 .......... 7 ........ 0 ........364 T.C. Stouch ..............2 ........1909-10 ...................................12 ........ 11 ........ 0 ........521 Jack Corbett ...........1 ........1911 ..........................................7 .......... 5 ........ 0 ........583 W.L. Laval ..............17 .......1908; 1912-27 .......................140 ...... 124 ........ 5 ........530 A.P. McLeod ...........12 .......1928-30; 1933-35; 1937-42 ....78 ........ 81 ........ 5 ........491 Pepper Martin ........1 ........1943 ..........................................3 .......... 5 ........ 0 ........375 Lyles Alley ..............8 ........1946-49; 1951-53; 1967 ..........69 ........ 95 ........ 1 ........421 Woody Johnson ......1 ........1950 ..........................................8 ........ 13 ........ 0 ........381 Bill Kerr ..................4 ........1954-57 ...................................32 ........ 42 ........ 0 ........432 Dixie Howell ...........3 ........1958-1960 ...............................30 ........ 33 ........ 1 ........476 Mack Erwin ............1 ........1961 ........................................15 ........ 10 ........ 0 ........600 Bobby Jennings ......1 ........1962 ........................................12 .......... 9 ........ 0 ........571 Jack Powers ............4 ........1963-66 ...................................40 ........ 67 ........ 2 ........376 Bob Reising ............2 ........1968-69 ...................................33 ........ 21 ........ 2 ........607 Tom Wall ...............22 .......1970-71; 1974-93..................329 ...... 480 ........ 4 ........407 Elton Brunty ...........2 ........1972-73 ...................................37 ........ 28 ........ 2 ........567 T .Pct In 1989, he took over as head basketball coach at Middletown High School, and over five seasons guided his program to a 75-42 record, including Greater Miami Conference, sectional, and district championships in 1989, for which he was named conference coach- of-the-year. A native of Elkhart, Ind., Smith, who in 1999 was named to the Indiana Basketball Hall-of-Fame Silver Anniversary Team (along with Larry Bird), holds a master's degree in educational leadership from Miami (Ohio) University. He is married to the former Beth Jordan of Houston, Texas, and has a daughter, Emily, and three sons: Devin, Blake, and Peyton. Opponent RON SMITH VS. THE SOUTHERN CONFERENCE Regular Season Tourney Total Head Coach Ron Smith .Pct 2 44 7 11 13 7 6 24 16 124 16 3 62 7 16 14 3 3 27 7 218 12 Ron Smith .........19 ......1994-Present ................. 450 .....549 ...... 3 ......450 232 266 Note: Game results/season records prior to 1901 are incomplete 0 .400 1 .415 0 .500 0 .407 0 .481 0 .700 0 .667 0 .471 1 .688 1 .363 0 .571 1 .466 Wofford ................................. 32-9 ...............2-1 ................34-10 ......... .773 Marshall* ................................ 9-3 ...............0-0 ....................9-3 ......... .750 VMI* ................................... 17-10 ...............0-1 ................17-11 ......... .607 Appalachian State ............... 28-24 ...............3-2 ................31-26 ......... .544 East Tennessee State* ......... 20-16 ...............2-2 ................22-18 ......... .550 Davidson ............................. 28-25 ...............0-0 ................28-25 ......... .528 UNC Greensboro .................. 19-23 ...............5-2 ................24-25 ......... .490 Georgia Southern ................ 21-32 ...............5-4 ................26-36 ......... .419 Western Carolina ................. 20-34 ...............2-6 ................22-40 ......... .354 The Citadel .......................... 18-36 ...............3-3 ................21-39 ......... .350 College of Charleston .......12-29-1 ...............3-3 .............15-32-1 ......... .323 Samford .................................. 3-6 ...............0-2 ....................3-8 ......... .273 Elon ....................................... 5-19 ...............1-1 ..................6-20 ......... .231 Totals .....................232-266-1 ........26-27 ...... 258-293-1 ........468 *No longer in SoCon 9