Gene Smith to lead Department of Athletics

COLUMBUS -- President Karen A. Holbrook today announced that Gene Smith will become Ohio State’s eighth athletics director on April 15. Smith, currently athletics director at Arizona State University, succeeds Andy Geiger, whose retirement Holbrook announced Jan. 5 after his 11 years in the position.

Holbrook said she sought to bring in someone who would not only maintain Ohio State’s tradition of excellence but help guide the department to even higher levels of academic and athletic accomplishment.

“In Gene Smith, Ohio State is hiring a well-respected A.D. with a track record of success in all facets of athletics management and student-athlete achievement,” Holbrook said. “He is a nationally respected A.D. who will be a tremendous leader for our program.”

Born and raised in Cleveland, Smith has a 19-year career of leadership and service in Division I-A athletics, serving the past five years as the athletics director at Arizona State University and in previous posts at Iowa State (1993-2000) and Eastern Michigan universities (1986-93). Smith has revitalized the 22-sport Sun Devils program, hiring nationally regarded coaches and developing competitive teams.

Arizona State also achieved academic success under Smith. In spring 2004, the Sun Devils ranked seventh nationally and No. 1 in the Pacific-10 Conference in the number of student-athletes who attained Academic All-America honors since 2000. Sixty-one percent of ASU student-athletes were Maroon and Gold Scholars in 2003-04, earning a 3.0 GPA during fall or spring semester. Forty-two percent of all student-athletes earned a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above. The graduation rate improved to a record level, rising 11 percent over the previous mark and 13 percent higher than the university average.

Smith said he is eager to begin work as Ohio State’s next athletics director, and praised outgoing A.D. Geiger for his leadership. “I am honored and appreciative to inherit a program that Andy Geiger led. He is one of the most respected A.D.’s in this country, and I have always admired his style.

“I am really looking forward to joining this Athletics family and serving these kids. These student-athletes are very special. And, obviously, being from Ohio, I can’t be more excited about coming home,” Smith said.

Driven by his commitment to provide student-athletes every opportunity to be successful academically, athletically and socially, Smith directed the completion of a $30 million capital campaign that helped fund the construction of a $19 million state-of-the-art student-athlete fitness and conditioning center, completed in May 2002.

Identified in the March 2005 issue of Black Enterprise magazine as one of the “50 Most Powerful Blacks in Sports,” Smith currently serves on the NCAA Football Rules Committee and Committee on Infractions, as well as the NCAA Management Council, the BCS Athletic Director’s Advisory Committee and the Fiesta Bowl Board in Tempe.

Smith leaves his current duties on several Pac-10 committees, including vice president of the Conference Executive Committee and chair of its Football Officiating Committee and as a member of the conference’s Selection, Athletics Directors’ Revenue Sharing, Rose Bowl Management and Bowl (Ad Hoc) committees.

The consummate student-athlete, Smith earned his bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Notre Dame in 1977. He earned three varsity football letters as a defensive end and was a member of the Associated Press 1973 national championship team.

Smith also served as an assistant football coach for the Fighting Irish from 1977-81, helping to guide the squad to its 1977 undisputed national championship. He then spent two years as a marketing representative for IBM prior to joining the Eastern Michigan staff in April 1983.

Gene and his wife, Sheila, have four children - Matt, Nicole, Lindsey, and Summer - and two grandchildren, Marshall and Steele. Sheila, a 1976 Canadian Olympian in basketball, holds a doctorate in Higher Education Administration.

Joe Alutto, dean of the Fisher College of Business and chair of the search committee, said the group was impressed with the breadth and depth of Smith’s experience and success in athletics management.

“When we began looking at the potential pool of candidates, Gene surfaced right away. At this time in the history of our university, he has all the appropriate skills to move Ohio State’s Athletics program forward. Indeed, he was made to order,” he said.

The basic terms of Smith’s hiring agreement include a base pay of $450,000 annually for seven years. He will receive a maximum $125,000 annually in incentive pay for meeting athletic and academic performance goals that President Holbrook will specify. The university also will contribute $50,000 a year to a deferred compensation fund that he will receive should he stay for the entire length of his agreement.

Smith will lead one of the nation’s most comprehensive and successful athletics programs, with a $91 million operating budget that is completely self-supporting. More than 900 student-athletes participate in 36 varsity sports. And the department is nearing the completion of an aggressive schedule of both new construction and renovation of existing facilities, including renovation of the historic Ohio Stadium and construction of the Jerome Schottenstein Center.

In addition, Ohio State athletics attracts more than $100 million annually to the greater Columbus region. In the last 10 years alone, the Athletics Department and the city of Columbus have hosted thousands of fans and hundreds of teams for more than 60 national, regional, and conference championship events in 21 sports.

Each year, NACDA rates the accomplishments of college athletics programs and awards the Directors’ Cup to recognize those achievements. Ohio State achieved its highest level of overall success in the 2002-03 season, earning third place, and finished fourth last season. The program has placed among the top 15 teams nationally in each of the past six years.

A comprehensive network of student-athlete support services has contributed to more than 800 student-athletes over the last two years being honored as Ohio State Scholar-Athletes for maintaining a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or better. A record 414 students were honored in May 2003. Nearly 1,600 student-athletes have received Academic All-Big Ten honors over the past seven years.

During spring quarter 2004 commencement, 108 student-athletes earned Ohio State degrees. Additionally, 67 percent of aided student-athletes went on to receive degrees.

Geiger praised the selection of Smith to replace him. “I congratulate Dr. Holbrook and the university for its selection of Gene Smith. He is a good man with a strong record of leadership in our business. I am grateful for the opportunity I had to lead the Ohio State Athletics Department and I am comforted to know that its future is in very capable hands.”

There have been seven previous directors of athletics at Ohio State, including Geiger (1994-2005), Jim Jones (1987-94), Richard Bay (1984-87), Hugh Hindman (1977-84), J. Edward Weaver (1970-77), Richard Larkins (1947-70), and Lynn W. St. John (1912-47).