Aug. 10, 2004

By Jeff Honza
www.SIUSalukis.com

CARBONDALE, Ill. - After spending five years as the throws coach at Ohio State, John Smith returns to his alma mater to assume the same responsibilities for the Southern Illinois University track and field program.

Smith graduated from SIU in 1984 and will assist his wife, Connie, who was named head coach of both the men's and women's teams after it was announced the two programs would merge on May 21.

When asked about getting the chance to coach with Connie at Southern, Smith described it as a rare opportunity in college sports.

"I appreciate SIU giving me the opportunity to coach with my wife because I don't think a lot of universities would allow that to happen," Smith said. "To me, it's the ideal situation. She's a diplomat who's very organized and I'm the type of person who likes being in the trenches with the student-athletes. We work well together and I think we'll do a lot of great things for Saluki track and field."

A native of Portage, Ind., Smith comes back to Saluki Country after coaching 18 Big Ten Champions, 19 All-Americans, 12 national qualifiers (24 total events) and two NCAA Champions at OSU.

With all that success at such a high level, one might wonder why Smith wants to coach at a mid-major Division I institution like SIU.

"There are a lot of great things about a big school like OSU, but there are even better things about a smaller school like SIU," Smith explained. "The Saluki track and field program has a lot of potential and I'm excited about getting the opportunity to re-build and start all over again."

Although Smith's accomplishments are second to none, what's most impressive is the impact he makes on his student-athletes.

Namely, three-time All-American Amarachi Ukabam, who recently made the finals of the Olympic Trials, competed under Smith at OSU. A native of Maryland Heights, Mo., Ukabam wanted to transfer once she found out her coach accepted the job at SIU. She signed with the Salukis on July 26.

Prior to joining the Buckeyes' coaching staff, Smith coached his wife, a four-time Olympian, to 25 U.S. national titles in the shot put and discus combined. Price-Smith captured the World Indoor silver medal in the shot put in 1995 and placed fifth in the shot put at the 1996 Olympic Games, the highest finish for a U.S. female shot putter since 1960. Most recently, she claimed the gold medal at the Pan-American Games in 1999.

In addition to coaching Connie, Smith has been involved with personal high school coaching in shot put and discus since 1980. He trained 20 Indiana state champions and five Track & Field News High School All-Americans. Two of his student-athletes were national champions and five were named to the U.S. Junior National Team.

At SIU, he was an All-American in the shot put and a winner of eight Missouri Valley Conference titles in the shot put, discus and hammer. He set both the school's indoor (62-9.75) and outdoor (62-3.5) shot put records in 1984, which still stand today.

After graduating from SIU, Smith was a member of two Olympic Festival teams and a part of the USA vs. Great Britain National Team. He participated in five national championships, with his highest finish being seventh in the shot put.

Smith is the final assistant added to this year's track and field coaching staff. He joins Matt Sparks, Lawrence Johnson and Cameron Wright, who return from a year ago.