Responsibilities: Smith oversees an office of six full-time members who are dedicated to handling media requests for student-athletes and coaches, producing notes to help media members with their jobs, writing game recaps, writing biographical information on coaches, players and administrative staff, updating statistical information and keeping track of the record sections of each sport. Smith specifically handles all media requests for head football coach Frank Beamer and the coaching staff.

Joined VT Athletics Staff: 1975.

At Virginia Tech: One of the longest-tenured employees in the athletics department, Smith came to Virginia Tech in 1975. Early on, he worked with the Tech men’s basketball program, and he also was the main contact for Tech’s baseball program, a role that he played for more than 30 years before reassigning those duties in 2006 to free up more time to handle his administrative responsibilities.

In the early 1990s, he became a secondary contact for the football program and then became the primary contact after Jack Williams’ retirement in 1998. Smith was promoted to sports information director at that point and later was promoted to the role of assistant AD for athletics communications in which he would oversee the entire athletics communications office.

Prior to Virginia Tech: Smith worked in the newspaper business, covering the sports scene in Franklin County, Va., for the Franklin News-Post. He attended all sorts of sporting events, including local stock car races at legendary Franklin County Speedway. He later took a job working as the sports information director at Ferrum, becoming the school’s first sports information director. From there, he moved to Tech.

Education: Virginia Tech, 1970 (B.A. in English).

Of Note: Smith has been an active member of the College Sports Information Directors Association for years, and he also is an active member of the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association.

He also serves as the liaison to the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame committee. In addition to all his other duties, he is the department’s de facto historian. Many people have written books about various players, coaches and aspects of Tech athletics and Smith’s expertise has been invaluable in helping those authors with their work.

Personal: A native of Roanoke, Va., Smith and his wife, Debbie, live in Blacksburg. They have a daughter, Jen, who is a graduate of the University of Miami and of William & Mary and who currently works in the veterinarian school at Tech.