| Brian Smith |
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Beginning his career as Missouri's seventh Head Wrestling Coach, Brian Smith sat down with his team and made a list of goals that he hoped to help the 1998 squad and future Tiger teams accomplish. Over the past 10 years, Smith and the 133 men that have come through the varsity program have slowly but surely checked items off the list. Individual Big 12 Conference Champions, improved grade-point averages, record-setting attendances, a No. 1 national ranking and Missouri's first-ever NCAA National Champion in wrestling were all on Smith's "to-do" list. His unique TigerStyle training program has molded today's team into a national powerhouse that looks to contend for the program's first NCAA title.
Since being introduced as Missouri's Head Wrestling Coach May 5, 1998, Smith has demanded nothing but the best from himself, his coaches and his wrestlers. Owning seven consecutive winning seasons (18-3, 2001-02; 15-6, 2002-03; 15-3, 2003-04; 15-6, 2004-05; 13-5, 2005-06; 12-2, 2006-07; 2007-08; 9-4-1) Smith has coached 11 All-Americans to 17 top-eight performances and recently aided in two-time National Champion Ben Askren's run through the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. During his Tiger career, Smith guided the 174-pound grappler Askren to the program's first back-to-back National Championship titles (2006 and 2007). In the past five years alone, six Tigers have earned 10 Big 12 titles with Askren becoming Missouri's first three-time Big 12 Champion. In 2007, Missouri sent a program high eight wrestlers to the NCAA Championships, besting the previous high of seven set in 2003 and 2006. At least one Tiger grappler has been selected to compete at the championship event in each of his 10 seasons at Missouri and Smith's squads have finished among the top-15 programs at the NCAA Championships for five straight years.
Smith's teams have made a remarkable turnaround in 10 years. Inheriting a program that had not seen a winning record since the 1991-92 campaign, the Tigers are now continuously ranked among the top-10 in the nation, reaching as high as No. 1 during the course of the 2006-07 campaign. On Dec. 12, 2006, the Missouri wrestling team became just the 11th wrestling program in history to earn a No. 1 ranking. Missouri joined the elite ranks of programs such as Minnesota, Oklahoma State, Iowa, Iowa State, Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Arizona State and Illinois to stand at No. 1 in the nation. Only a loss to eventual National Champion Minnesota forced the Tigers down in the polls.
In 2003, Smith helped his team to its highest Big 12 tournament finish ever (second), a feat the team repeated at home in the Hearnes Center in 2007. Through the efforts of three 2007 Big 12 Champions and three top-three finishes, Missouri edged eight-time Big 12 Champion Oklahoma State by a half of a point (61.5-61) for second place.
Smith has compiled a 119-60-2 record at Missouri and became only the second Tiger wrestling coach to reach the 100-win plateau. Hitting the century mark Dec. 9, 2006, in Mount Pleasant, Mich., Smith's squad bested then-No. 11 Central Michigan, 31-9.
Smith's 50th career victory came with a win over Oklahoma Jan. 26, 2003, helping the Tigers improve to 3-1 in conference action, while earning the most conference victories the Tigers have had in the Big 12 or Big Eight leagues. Since 2003, only the 2006-07 Tiger squad has been able to match the 3-1 league mark.
With a .663 winning percentage, Smith holds the highest winning percentage in Tiger wrestling history. In May of 2007, Smith's hard work paid off as he earned the Dan Gable Coach of the Year Award as presented by W.I.N. Magazine.
Building excitement and interest for the sport of wrestling, not only in Columbia but across the nation, Smith and his team have helped turn out record crowds in the Hearnes Center. On Feb. 11, 2007, competing against Iowa State, the Tigers packed in 2,772 fans with several thousand more watching the dual live on the Missouri Sports Network (MSN). The mark bested the previous high by 644 spectators, a record set one year prior against Oklahoma State, Jan. 22, 2006. With record numbers of fans attending Missouri's duals during the 2006-07 season, the Tigers ranked fifth in the nation for attendance.
The demands that Smith puts on his wrestlers extend well beyond the mat. In the fall of 2002, his team had a grade-point average of 2.81, the highest GPA for a Missouri wrestling team under Coach Smith. In 2006, Smith had 15 wrestlers with GPA's over 3.0, including 10 student-athletes that were named to the Dean's List. In all, 15 wrestlers have been recognized by the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), Big 12 and CoSIDA for their academic achievements since he took the reins in 1998. Among that list is Tyler McCormick, a 2008 graduate. In 2006, McCormick headlined the Big 12 All-Academic first team as the only grappler in the conference to post a 4.0 grade-point average. The Tiger All-American went on to become the first wrestler since Shaon Fry (1993) to earn ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America first team accolades and was later awarded one of 29 prestigious NCAA Postgraduate Scholarships in 2008. McCormick is one of three Tiger grapplers in the last four years to earn a post-graduate scholarship, along with 2004 graduate Kenny Burleson and Askren.
Away from the mat and outside of the classroom, Smith's Tiger squad is committed to giving back to the community. All-American Raymond Jordan is this year's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) President with teammate Michael Chandler serving as Vice President. Jordan's reign as president marks the third time in five years that a Tiger wrestler has served as head of the SAAC, with Askren serving in 2006-07 and former Tiger All-American Tyron Woodley named president in 2004-05.
A 1990 graduate of Michigan State University, Smith's coaching career began at Western High School in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. From 1991-92, Smith led Western High to its first top-10 finish at the state tournament, claiming a second place finish in 1991 and a fourth place showing in 1992. Smith coached two state champions and led five wrestlers to top finishes at the Florida state tournament.
Smith's collegiate coaching career began at Cornell University in 1992. While an assistant at Cornell, he put together two of the nation's top-10 recruiting classes, a feat he accomplished without athletic scholarships, (Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships). Those recruiting classes helped Cornell take two Ivy League Championships, a 10th-place finish at the 1993 NCAA Championships and a 17th-place finish in 1994. At the 1994 NCAA Championships, one of Smith's top athletes, David Hirsch, became Cornell's first national champion since 1960.
In 1997, Smith took over the head coaching position at Syracuse University, helping to stabilize a program that was nearly eliminated. Before leaving for Missouri in May of 1998, Smith coached Jason Gleasman (HWT) to All-America honors.
A competitor himself, Smith was a three-time All-Big Ten wrestler and a four-time letterman at Michigan State from 1986-1990. As a senior, he was selected as the Spartan's Most Outstanding Wrestler. Competing at 126-pounds, Smith finished fifth at the Big Ten Championships in 1988, third in 1989 and second in 1990. Smith stands among the top-25 on Michigan State's all-time wins list with 84 career victories as a Spartan. He also stands tied for 19th on MSU's single-season wins list with 32 victories in 1990.
A native of Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where his father coached football, Smith was a two-time wrestling state champion in 1984 with Oviedo High School and 1985 while competing at St. Thomas Aquinas High School.
Smith is currently an active member of the wrestling community, recently named the NWCA president-elect in addition to serving as wrestling commissioner for the Missouri Show-Me-State Games for the past five years. Organizing volunteers for set up, competition and tear down of the all day event, Smith also is responsible for the referees of the Show-Me-State Game matches, often volunteers from his very own Tiger wrestling team.
During the summer of 2003, Smith took 12 wrestlers, including graduates Austin DeVoe and Jeremy Spates, on the NWCA Collegiate All-Star International Tour. Smith served as head coach as the men competed in three cities in Greece; Athens, Thessaloniki and Larisa as well as Sophia, Bulgaria. Both DeVoe and Spates went 7-2 in their individual competitions.
The Florida native graduated from Michigan State with a degree in education and married the former Denise Dean in 1993. Brian and Denise, have three children, Quinn (14), Kylie (12) and Braden (eight).
