Tubby Smith
KY, US
Head Basketball Coach of University of Kentucky
Orlando "Tubby" Smith, current Head Coach for University of Minnesota Men's Basketball. Tubby was born and raised in Scotland, Maryland, and comes to Kentucky by way of South Carolina in 1991 as an Assistant Coach to then UK's head coach, Rick Pitino. On May 12, 1997, Tubby accepted the position as Head Coach and took the team to win the NCAA title his first season. He currently ranks 6th among active coaches in winning percentages and has led teams to 11-straight 20-win seasons. Over the past two seasons, no coach has led his team to more college basketball victories than Tubby Smith. His current record: 59 wins, 9 loses. Associated Press ranked his numbers No. 1 in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004 and a 35-3 mark (regular season and conference tournament) against SEC opponents.Since arriving in 1997, Mr. Smith has led Kentucky to one national championship, four SEC crowns and five SEC Tournament titles, with five Sweet 16 finishes in his seven seasons. In 2004, he joined an elite group when he became the sixth head coach to win 300 games in 13 seasons or less, joining the likes of Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Nolan Richardson. Mr. Smith's career record is now 315-114, and his 73.4 winning percentage is sixth among active coaches entering the 2004-05 season.Mr. Smith is the first coach since Cincinnati's Ed Juker in 1961 to win the national title in his first year at a school. He was named National Coach of the Year by Basketball Weekly and Co-SEC Coach of the Year by The Associated Press. The New York Athletic Club presented Mr. Smith with the prestigious Winged Foot Award given to the coach of the national champions after each season. In the off-season, he picked up the Parent of the Year Award by Parent Magazine, the Victor Award by the Black Coaches Association and was even voted the "Sexiest Male Public Figure" in a reader's vote in a local magazine. The honors culminated when he was named the Kentucky Sportsman of the Year for t1998 in a statewide media vote.In 2003, a year in which Tubby Smith's coaching ranked among the very best in the 100 years of Kentucky basketball, the accolades arrived in a landslide. Smith snared all seven of the national honors recognized by the NCAA - AP, USBWA, Naismith, Basketball Times, The Sporting News, ABC, and CBS/Chevrolet. He became the first coach to sweep the list since Indiana's Bobby Knight captured all five in 1975. For good measure, Smith added honors from ESPN, Foxsports.com, the Black Coaches Association and College Sports Television.Coach Smith is very active in the community. The Tubby Smith Foundation, which he established to assist underprivileged children, has raised over $1.5 million in the past five years. In the summer of 2001, the United Way created a new award. The Donna and Tubby Smith Community Spirit Award. The Smith's were the inaugural recipient of the award for their generous contributions. In 2001, their $125,000 donation made them the highest individual contributor to the United Way in the state of Kentucky.
Orlando "Tubby" Smith, current Head Coach for University of Minnesota Men's Basketball. Tubby was born and raised in Scotland, Maryland, and comes to Kentucky by way of South Carolina in 1991 as an Assistant Coach to then UK's head coach, Rick Pitino. On May 12, 1997, Tubby accepted the position as Head Coach and took the team to win the NCAA title his first season. He currently ranks 6th among active coaches in winning percentages and has led teams to 11-straight 20-win seasons. Over the past two seasons, no coach has led his team to more college basketball victories than Tubby Smith. His current record: 59 wins, 9 loses. Associated Press ranked his numbers No. 1 in 2003 and No. 2 in 2004 and a 35-3 mark (regular season and conference tournament) against SEC opponents.Since arriving in 1997, Mr. Smith has led Kentucky to one national championship, four SEC crowns and five SEC Tournament titles, with five Sweet 16 finishes in his seven seasons. In 2004, he joined an elite group when he became the sixth head coach to win 300 games in 13 seasons or less, joining the likes of Roy Williams, Jim Boeheim and Nolan Richardson. Mr. Smith's career record is now 315-114, and his 73.4 winning percentage is sixth among active coaches entering the 2004-05 season.Mr. Smith is the first coach since Cincinnati's Ed Juker in 1961 to win the national title in his first year at a school. He was named National Coach of the Year by Basketball Weekly and Co-SEC Coach of the Year by The Associated Press. The New York Athletic Club presented Mr. Smith with the prestigious Winged Foot Award given to the coach of the national champions after each season. In the off-season, he picked up the Parent of the Year Award by Parent Magazine, the Victor Award by the Black Coaches Association and was even voted the "Sexiest Male Public Figure" in a reader's vote in a local magazine. The honors culminated when he was named the Kentucky Sportsman of the Year for t1998 in a statewide media vote.In 2003, a year in which Tubby Smith's coaching ranked among the very best in the 100 years of Kentucky basketball, the accolades arrived in a landslide. Smith snared all seven of the national honors recognized by the NCAA - AP, USBWA, Naismith, Basketball Times, The Sporting News, ABC, and CBS/Chevrolet. He became the first coach to sweep the list since Indiana's Bobby Knight captured all five in 1975. For good measure, Smith added honors from ESPN, Foxsports.com, the Black Coaches Association and College Sports Television.Coach Smith is very active in the community. The Tubby Smith Foundation, which he established to assist underprivileged children, has raised over $1.5 million in the past five years. In the summer of 2001, the United Way created a new award. The Donna and Tubby Smith Community Spirit Award. The Smith's were the inaugural recipient of the award for their generous contributions. In 2001, their $125,000 donation made them the highest individual contributor to the United Way in the state of Kentucky.
2010