STILLWATER – Former Oklahoma State wrestler Lee Roy Smith will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a distinguished member Friday.
“This is an extraordinary, gratifying and humbling opportunity,” Smith said. “To be honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a distinguished member, there’s nothing like it. At this stage in my life, it’s even more gratifying because I can reflect on being a wrestler, a coach, an administrator and an executive director at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame.”
Already a member of the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame, Smith began his journey with wrestling in the late 1970s, becoming the first wrestler to take home two state championships for Del City High School. That success brought him to OSU’s historic wrestling program, where he earned national recognition.
His accolades in Stillwater included three All-America finishes, four Big Eight individual titles and an NCAA championship in 1980 at 142 pounds. Smith, the brother of fellow former Cowboy wrestlers John, Pat, and Mark Smith, was the first of the brothers to bring home an NCAA title. Smith took his success to the world stage after college, winning silver at the 1983 World Championships and the 1983 and 1984 World Cups.
Starting in 1984, Smith moved to the coaching side of wrestling, starting as an assistant for the Cowboys from 1984-87. During his time, he recruited his family to OSU and helped John to an NCAA title in 1987.
After a brief stint with the Swiss National team, Smith returned to the United States and became USA Wrestling’s national freestyle coach. While at the helm, Smith coached six world champions and three Olympic gold medalists.
The success on the world stage brought him to Arizona State to become the head coach of the Sun Devils for the next nine years. Smith never suffered a losing season in Tempe, earning four Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards, five top 10 finishes at the NCAA Championships and 91 wins. He coached three NCAA champions, 28 All-Americans and won five conference titles at ASU.
Smith then retired from coaching and dove into new endeavors. Starting in broadcast, Smith was a part of NBC’s coverage for the 1996 Atlanta and 2000 Sydney Olympics. In addition, he served as a color commentator for the Big 12 and Oklahoma State.
His latest stop brought him back to Stillwater to help bring the National Wrestling Hall of Fame to increased national relevance. In 2004, Smith became the Executive Director and helped get the historic site out of bankruptcy, including fundraising to get the museum much needed, state-of-the-art renovations.
Smith has been at the helm of the Hall of Fame for the past 21 years and will enter retirement this summer.
