By Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – Anyone who knows Randy Smith or worked with him in his long tenure in the Tennessee Tech Athletics department knows that he was never one to be at a loss of words, but once he found out that he had received the 2018 Athletics Outstanding Alumni Award, he found himself in an unusual state.
"I was actually in shock when (Tech director of athletics) Mark (Wilson) called and told me," Smith said. "Normally, I have a comeback or can talk about anything, but that one just really floored me. It really brought tears to my eyes that Athletics would recognize me like that. To be honest, it probably means more to me than the Hall of Fame."
Strong words from a worthy recipient – Smith was inducted into the Tech Sports Hall of Fame as a member of the Class of 2012, but his lasting legacy from a student-athlete at the university in the '60s to a championship-level tennis coach who helped bring the Golden Eagle program into prominence can't be denied.
And that's hardly including the years of service he gave to the department as an administrator, retiring as the Associate Athletics Director for Operations, Facilities and Capital Projects.
For most of his adult life, Randy Smith has lived and breathed Tennessee Tech athletics, making him an obvious selection for the award.
Smith received the award at a presentation Saturday night during halftime of the Tech men's basketball game against Belmont. He follows previous winners Ottis Phillips (2013), Tom Pemberton (2014), Ed Henley (2015), Gail "Doc" Fields (2016) and Randy Darcy (2017).
Being a part of Tech for nearly a 40-year span – even though he still hasn't been too far away – there's no question that the university has been near and dear to Smith's heart.
"I showed up there in 1965 and my dad let me out of the car and I fell in love with the place," Smith said. "I was lucky enough that they later hired me as the tennis coach back in the late '80s. That was the best 20 years of my life.
"Do I miss it now? Every day."
Smith continued, "Every day, I miss the university and the things I did there."
A member of the Tech men's tennis team, Smith graduated from Tech in 1970. He returned to the Cookeville campus as the men's tennis head coach in 1988, leading the Golden Eagles to a 20-6 record and 5-1 in the Ohio Valley Conference, earning the league's Coach of the Year Award – one he'd receive five times in his career – four times with the men, once with the women's team.
He coached the Tech men's tennis team to OVC championships in 1990, 1999 and 2006, leading the Golden Eagles to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1990. That same year, he also coached the Tech women to their only OVC title.
But it was through his efforts that the tennis program started to grow like an acorn into a tree. Under his watch, Tech won its first OVC men's tennis title since 1969 – when he was a member of the team – in 1990, then has gone on to win 16 total regular-season and tournament championships.
"We had a hard time after I left and we went through a couple of coaches," Smith said. "But we got lucky with (current head coach) Kenny Doyle. He's gotten it back on track where we've wanted it on and he has just been fantastic at it. He's a heck of a coach and a fantastic guy and he takes care of his players. He's got great guys."
And, of course, he still keeps up with the team.
"I probably check up on it six or seven days a week," Smith laughed.
The Hall of Fame induction was a huge honor for Smith and he still looks upon it fondly.
"That was just amazing," he said. "To go in with that group (Kenneth Fults, Janet Holt Baker and Grant Swallows) and to be hanging on the wall in the Eblen Center, and compared to the other inductees, I felt like the little guy in the sack. I felt lucky to be a part of that group."
Being able to help support the university and athletics in its endeavors is also important to him.
"Whether it's the short run or the long one," Smith said, "it's something that I've been lucky to be able to do. At this point of my life, I'm able to do a little more. I just enjoy it, you know. I like being able to be a part of it. I've showed up to several basketball games this winter and I'm working toward retirement in the next year or so and get back up to Cookeville full time, even though I don't have anything to do but to go to every Tech event I can that's at home, to enjoy the university and its students again."
With all the years he spent around the athletics department and its teams, what is the thing he's missed the most?
"We had such a fantastic team of support people," Smith said, "and by that I mean everyone from the AD to the president down to administrative assistants to grad assistants. The group that was working the basketball and football games that were there and had been doing that for years – everybody was on the same line and had the same goals, and that was to keep the people coming to the events as happy as we could, make it fun for them. Everyone was on the same page and it just made it easier. We all just worked together."
Photo by Thomas Corhern, TTU Sports Information / TTU SI file
