Elmer Smith (September 15, 1907 – 1987) was an American football, basketball, and baseball player and coach. Smith served as the head basketball coach Centenary College in Shreveport, Louisiana from 1939 to 1942 before taking on the head football coaching duties at Southern Arkansas University in Magnolia, Arkansas from 1946 to 1953.[1] After leaving Southern Arkansas, he was an assistant football coach at Texas A&M University under coaches Bear Bryant, Jim Myers, Hank Foldberg, and Gene Stallings.[2]
| Biographical details | |
|---|---|
| Born | September 15, 1907 Casa, Arkansas, U.S. |
| Died | 1987 |
| Playing career | |
| Football | |
| 1927–1930 | Hendrix |
| Basketball | |
| 1927–1931 | Hendrix |
| Baseball | |
| c. 1930 | Hendrix |
| 1931 | New Orleans Pelicans |
| Position(s) | Fullback (football) Catcher (baseball) |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| Football | |
| 1931–1932 | Hamburg HS (AR) |
| 1933–1935 | Hendrix (assistant) |
| 1936–1941 | Centenary (backfield) |
| 1946–1953 | Magnolia A&M / Southern State |
| 1954–1971 | Texas A&M (assistant) |
| Basketball | |
| 1939–1942 | Centenary |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 54–27–2 (college football) 18–2 (high school football) |
| Bowls | 1–0–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| Football 3 AIC (1948, 1951–1952) | |
Smith was born on September 15, 1907, in Casa, Arkansas, and graduated from Danville High School in Danville, Arkansas.[3] He was a multi-sport athlete at Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas, lettering in football, basketball, baseball, and track and field, before graduating in 1931 with a bachelor's degree in economics.[4] He earned a master's degree in physical education from Peabody College. Smith began his coaching career in 1931 at Hamburg High School in Hamburg, Arkansas, where he led the football team in a record of 18–2 in two seasons. He then returned to Hendrix as an assistant coach. Smith was hired at Centenary as an assistant coach in 1936, succeeding Elza Renfro.[5] He remained at Centenary until 1942, when joined the United States Navy, reaching the rank of lieutenant commander.[6]
Head coaching record
editCollege football
edit| Year | Team | Overall | Conference | Standing | Bowl/playoffs | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magnolia A&M Aggies / Southern State Muleriders (Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference) (1946–1953) | |||||||||
| 1946 | Magnolia A&M | 4–5 | 3–2 | 4th | |||||
| 1947 | Magnolia A&M | 9–2–1 | 4–2 | T Cajun Bowl | |||||
| 1948 | Magnolia A&M | 8–2 | 6–1 | T–1st | W Papoose Bowl | ||||
| 1949 | Magnolia A&M | 3–7 | 1–6 | ||||||
| 1950 | Magnolia A&M | 6–4–1 | 3–2–1 | ||||||
| 1951 | Southern State | 9–1 | 6–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1952 | Southern State | 10–1 | 5–0 | 1st | |||||
| 1953 | Southern State | 5–5 | 2–4 | ||||||
| Magnolia A&M / Southern State: | 54–27–2 | 30–17–1 | |||||||
| Total: | 54–27–2 | ||||||||
| National championship Conference title Conference division title or championship game berth | |||||||||
References
edit- ^ "Elmer Smith and the Renewal of Men's Sports". Southern Arkansas University. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ "Elmer Smith". Southern Arkansas Muleriders. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ West, John (May 18, 1963). "Goin' West". The Eagle. Bryan, Texas. p. 6. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Elmer Smith". Hendrix Warriors. Retrieved December 30, 2018.
- ^ "Elmer Smith Will Coach At Centenary". The Camden News. Camden, Arkansas. February 22, 1936. p. 1. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
- ^ "Contribution is made to college endowment fund". El Dorado News-Times. El Dorado, Arkansas. September 27, 1974. p. 9. Retrieved July 7, 2022 – via Newspapers.com .
External links
edit- Career statistics from Baseball Reference (Minors)
