Former Dual-Sport Star Earl Smith Passes Away

IOWA CITY, Iowa -- Former University of Iowa football and track and field standout Earl Smith passed away Thursday at the age of 90.

Smith had an accomplished career in athletics, coaching, and education, spanning more than six decades.

Smith was a key cog in the Hawkeye football team’s resurgence under head coach Forest Evashevski. Smith was a three-year letterman from 1953-55. He earned second-team All-Big Ten honors in 1954 after leading the Big Ten in scoring with 11 touchdowns and 66 points. He also led the team in punt (267) and kickoff (183) return yardage in 1954. Smith’s 76-yard punt return against the Buckeyes in 1954 ranks as the 14th longest in school history. The native of Gary, Indiana, also led the team in punt return yards (153) as a senior in 1955. He scored two touchdowns in his first game against Michigan in 1953.

The dual-sport athlete also was a track and field champion at Iowa, becoming the Big Ten indoor (24-0 3/4) and outdoor (23-1) long jump champion in 1954 and finishing fourth in the NCAA long jump championships in 1953 and 1954.

After graduating from Iowa, Smith returned to his hometown to teach and coach high school sports. In his 56-year career with Gary Schools, Smith coached at Tolleston, Froebel, West Side, Emerson and Lew Wallace, including being the first African-American head coach at Froebel, Emerson and Lew Wallace. His basketball teams won 323 games over 26 seasons, including five conference titles, three regional championships, and two trips to the state tournament’s Elite Eight. He spent the last leg of his career as the citywide athletic director, retiring in 2013.

During his basketball coaching tenure, he coached five high school All-Americans and one first round NBA Draft Pick. 

Smith is a three-time Hall of Famer being inducted into the Indiana Track & Field Hall of Fame in 1990, the Indiana Football Hall of Fame in 2007, and the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame in 2018. The founder of the Gary Sports Hall of Fame, Smith was also the recipient of the IHSAA Ray Crowe Award for Excellence in Leadership in 2023.

Smith was a multi-sport prep star in football, basketball and track and field at Roosevelt High School. He set the state long jump record and twice won long jump state titles, while his team won the 1951 and 1952 track and field state championship.

A memorial service is scheduled for 11 a.m. on Saturday, Jan. 25, at St. Timothy Community Church in Gary, Indiana.