Tubby Smith facts for kids
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| Biographical details | ||||||||||||||
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| Born | June 30, 1951 Scotland, Maryland, U.S. |
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| Playing career | ||||||||||||||
| 1969–1973 | High Point | |||||||||||||
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | ||||||||||||||
| 1973–1977 | Great Mills HS | |||||||||||||
| 1977–1979 | Hoke County HS | |||||||||||||
| 1979–1986 | VCU (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1986–1989 | South Carolina (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1989–1991 | Kentucky (assistant) | |||||||||||||
| 1991–1995 | Tulsa | |||||||||||||
| 1995–1997 | Georgia | |||||||||||||
| 1997–2007 | Kentucky | |||||||||||||
| 2007–2013 | Minnesota | |||||||||||||
| 2013–2016 | Texas Tech | |||||||||||||
| 2016–2018 | Memphis | |||||||||||||
| 2018–2022 | High Point | |||||||||||||
| Head coaching record | ||||||||||||||
| Overall | 642–369 (college) | |||||||||||||
| Accomplishments and honors | ||||||||||||||
| Championships | ||||||||||||||
| NCAA Division I tournament (1998) NCAA Division I Regional – Final Four (1998) 5 SEC regular season (1998, 2000, 2001, 2003, 2005) 5 SEC tournament (1998, 1999, 2001, 2003, 2004) 2 MVC regular season (1994, 1995) |
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| Awards | ||||||||||||||
| AP College Coach of the Year (2003) Naismith College Coach of the Year (2003) NABC Coach of the Year (2003) Henry Iba Award (2003) Jim Phelan Award (2005) 2× MVC Coach of the Year (1994, 1995) 3× SEC Coach of the Year (1998, 2003, 2005) Big 12 Coach of the Year (2016) John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award (2016) Sporting News National Coach of the Year (2016) |
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Medal record
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Orlando Henry "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951) is a famous American college basketball coach. He last coached the men's basketball team at High Point University, which is where he went to college. Smith has coached many different college teams, including the University of Tulsa, the University of Georgia, and the University of Kentucky.
One of his biggest achievements was leading the Kentucky Wildcats to win the NCAA championship in 1998. Over his 31 years as a head coach, Tubby Smith had 26 winning seasons. He is one of only a few coaches to lead five different teams to the NCAA tournament.
Tubby Smith has three sons who also love basketball. His son G.G. Smith played for him at the University of Georgia and later coached at High Point. His son Saul Smith played for him at the University of Kentucky and was an assistant coach. His youngest son, Brian, played at Ole Miss and is now a high school coach.
Contents
Early Life and Nickname
Tubby Smith was born in Scotland, Maryland. He was the sixth of 17 children in his family! His parents were sharecroppers, which means they farmed land owned by someone else.
His unusual nickname, "Tubby," came from his childhood. When he was a baby, he loved staying in the big metal washtub where all the children took baths. The name stuck, even though he tried to get rid of it later. He says a teacher in 10th grade was the last person to call him by his real name, Orlando.
After high school, Smith went to High Point College (now High Point University). He played basketball there for four years and was a great player in his senior year. He earned a degree in health and physical education. While at High Point, he also met his future wife, Donna.
In 1973, Smith started his coaching career at his old high school, Great Mills High School. He then coached at Hoke County High School before moving to college coaching.
Starting as an Assistant Coach
Tubby Smith began his college coaching journey as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in 1979. He worked under his former college coach, J. D. Barnett. During his time at VCU, the team had a strong record and won several championships.
Smith learned a lot at VCU, especially a special defense strategy called the "ball-line defense." This defense became a key part of his coaching style later on. He also built a strong friendship with fellow assistant coach David Hobbs, who would later work with him at Kentucky.
In 1986, Smith moved to the University of South Carolina to be an assistant coach. The team had a good record during his three years there. After that, he joined the coaching staff at the University of Kentucky in 1989.
At Kentucky, Smith worked with head coach Rick Pitino. The team was going through a tough time, but the coaches helped them become winners again. Smith was promoted to associate coach, and the team improved a lot. Many other future head coaches also worked on Pitino's staff at Kentucky, including Billy Donovan.
Becoming a Head Coach
Tulsa Golden Hurricane
Tubby Smith got his first head coaching job at the University of Tulsa in 1991. He coached there for four years, leading the team to a 79–43 record. After rebuilding the team, he led them to win two conference titles.
His Tulsa teams also made it to the "Sweet 16" in the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament in both 1994 and 1995. This is a big achievement in college basketball!
Georgia Bulldogs
In 1995, Smith became the head coach at the University of Georgia. He was the first African-American head coach for their basketball team. In just two seasons, he led the Bulldogs to a great 45–19 record.
His teams had two seasons with 20 or more wins, which was a first for the school. They also reached the "Sweet 16" in the 1996 NCAA tournament.
Kentucky Wildcats
In 1997, Tubby Smith returned to the University of Kentucky, this time as the head coach. He took over from a very popular coach, Rick Pitino. The Kentucky team was already one of the best in the country.
In his very first season, Smith led the Wildcats to win their seventh NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship in 1998! This was a special win because his team didn't have any players who were considered "first-team All-Americans" or future top NBA draft picks.
Smith's teams at Kentucky were known for their strong defense, sometimes called "Tubbyball." He led Kentucky to one national championship, five conference regular season titles, and five conference tournament titles. His teams also made it to the "Sweet Sixteen" six times and the "Elite Eight" four times.
He reached 100 wins faster than almost any other Kentucky coach. In 2003, he was named the National Coach of the Year. He was also named SEC Coach of the Year three times. After ten seasons, Smith left Kentucky with an impressive record of 263 wins and 83 losses. In 2013, he was honored by being elected into the UK Athletic Hall of Fame.
Minnesota Golden Gophers
In 2007, Smith became the head coach for the University of Minnesota. He helped the team improve a lot in his first season. They went from 8 wins to 20 wins!
He led Minnesota to the NCAA tournament in 2009 and 2010. In 2012, his team reached the championship game of the NIT (National Invitation Tournament), which is another big college basketball tournament. Smith coached Minnesota for six seasons.
Texas Tech Red Raiders
Tubby Smith took on a new challenge in 2013, becoming the head coach at Texas Tech University. The team had not been to the NCAA tournament in seven years.
His first two seasons were tough, but Smith worked hard to improve the team. In his third season (2015–16), the team had a huge turnaround. They won three straight games against ranked opponents, which was a first for the school!
The Red Raiders finished with a winning record and were chosen to play in the 2016 NCAA tournament. Smith was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year for this amazing improvement.
Memphis Tigers
In 2016, Smith became the head coach at the University of Memphis. He coached there for two seasons. In his second year, the team had a 22–13 record.
High Point Panthers
In 2018, Tubby Smith returned to his college alma mater, High Point University, as the head coach. He is a big supporter of the university and even helped donate money for a new basketball arena. In 2022, he stepped down as head coach, and his son, G. G. Smith, took over.
Coaching the National Team
Tubby Smith also had the honor of coaching for the United States men's national basketball team. He was an assistant coach for the team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The American team won the gold medal at those Olympics!
Other Leadership Roles
Smith is involved in many important groups related to basketball. He served on the NCAA Committee, which studies issues in college basketball. He also served on the National Association of Basketball Coaches Board of Directors.
Tubby and his wife, Donna, have given a lot of money to High Point University to help build a new basketball arena. In 2017, the university decided to name the basketball court in their honor.
Personal Life and Community Work
When Tubby Smith coached at Kentucky, he was very active in the Lexington community. He started the Tubby Smith Foundation to help children who needed support. The foundation raised a lot of money to help kids.
Smith and his wife are still involved with the foundation today. Several community centers in Lexington are even called "Tubby's Klubhouse" because of his work there.
Overall Coaching Record
Tubby Smith had a long and successful career as a college basketball coach. His overall record was 642 wins and 369 losses.
|- style="background:#dddddd" | colspan="2" style="text-align:center" | Total: || 642–369 (.635) || colspan="7" | |- | colspan="9" | National champion Conference regular season champion Conference tournament champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Conference division champion |}
See also
In Spanish: Tubby Smith para niños
- List of college men's basketball coaches with 600 wins
- List of NCAA Division I Men's Final Four appearances by coach
