Tom Smith (baseball coach, born 1942)

Thomas Woodrow Smith (born December 9, 1942) is a former American college baseball coach and catcher. He played professional baseball in 1962, before retiring due to injury. He was the head baseball coach at Michigan State University from 1983 to 1995.

Tom Smith

Biographical details
Born	December 9, 1942 Coldwater, Michigan
Alma mater	Michigan State University
Playing career
1962	Dublin Braves
Position(s)	Catcher
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1964–1982	Michigan State (asst.)
1983–1995	Michigan State
Head coaching record
Overall	377–332–2
Tournaments	B1G: 4–10
Accomplishments and honors
Awards
2× Big Ten Coach of the Year (1988, 1992)

Playing career

Smith attended Coldwater High School in Coldwater, Michigan, where he played baseball, basketball and football. On August 17, 1961, it was reported that Smith had signed a professional baseball contract with the Milwaukee Braves.[1] Smith began his professional career with the Dublin Braves of the Georgia–Florida League, where he hit .243 with 3 home runs and 35 RBIs. Following an injury plagued 1963 season, Smith turned down a contract from the Los Angeles Angels and retired from professional baseball.[2]

Coaching career

Smith worked as a student assistant under Danny Litwhiler until he completed his degree. In 1967, he worked as the freshman coach as well as an assistant with the varsity. On March 12, 1982, Smith was promoted to head coach after Litwhiler announced his retirement.[3]

Head coaching record

Statistics overview

Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Michigan State Spartans (Big Ten Conference) (1983–1995)
1983	Michigan State	22–32	8–6	2nd (East)	Big Ten Tournament
1984	Michigan State	32–26	8–9	2nd (East)	Big Ten Tournament
1985	Michigan State	22–35	2–14	5th (East)
1986	Michigan State	28–26–1	7–9	T-3rd (East)
1987	Michigan State	34–20	6–10	4th (East)
1988	Michigan State	41–20	16–12	3rd	Big Ten Tournament
1989	Michigan State	25–26	13–15	7th
1990	Michigan State	28–24	13–15	7th
1991	Michigan State	28–25–1	12–16	8th
1992	Michigan State	36–19	17–11	3rd	Big Ten Tournament
1993	Michigan State	31–23	12–16	T-8th
1994	Michigan State	26–29	13–15	T-3rd	Big Ten Tournament
1995	Michigan State	24–27	12–16	T-8th
Michigan State:		377–332–2	139–164
Total:		377–332–2
National champion         Postseason invitational champion         Conference regular season champion         Conference regular season and conference tournament champion       Division regular season champion       Division regular season and conference tournament champion       Conference tournament champion

References

1. "Coldwater's Tom Smith Turns Pro". www.newspapers.com. Battle Creek Enquirer. August 17, 1961. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
2. "Thomas W. Smith Endowed Scholarship in Kinesiology". www.education.msu.edu. Michigan State University. Retrieved November 30, 2019.
3. "Michigan State assistant baseball coach Tom Smith has been..." www.upi.com. United Press International, Inc. March 12, 1982. Retrieved November 30, 2019.

External links

• Career statistics and player information from Baseball-Reference (Minors)