LeRoy Smith

This article is about the college football coach. For the American football lineman, see Leroy Smith (American football). For other people with a similar name, see Leroy Smith (disambiguation).

LeRoy Smith

Biographical details
Born	(1933-08-04)August 4, 1933 Fayette County, Kentucky, U.S.
Died	October 25, 2002(2002-10-25) (aged 69) Lexington, Kentucky, U.S.
Playing career
c. 1957	Jackson State
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1958	Mississippi Vocational
1964–1969	Tuskegee
1970–1981	Kentucky State
Head coaching record
Overall	106–77–7

LeRoy Victor Smith (August 4, 1933 – October 25, 2002) was an American college football coach. He served as the head football coach at Mississippi Vocational College (now known as Mississippi Valley State University) in 1958, the Tuskegee Institute (now known as Tuskegee University) from 1964 to 1969, and Kentucky State University from 1970 to 1981.

Coaching career

Mississippi Valley State

Smith's first head coaching position was at Mississippi Valley State University in Itta Bena, Mississippi, where he coached the 1958 season. He was the third head coach for the Delta Devils and produced a record of 2–5–1.^[1]

Tuskegee

Smith waited six years to become a head coach again. He was named the tenth head football coach at Tuskegee University in Tuskegee, Alabama, and he held that position for six seasons, from 1964 until 1969. His coaching record at Tuskegee was 42–13–3.^[2]

Kentucky State

After his success at Tuskegee, Smith was the 16th head football coach at Kentucky State University in Frankfort, Kentucky, and he held that position for 12 seasons, from 1970 until 1981. His coaching record at Kentucky State was 62–59–3.^[3] The school's media guide lists a slightly different result, having him coach for 12½ seasons, from 1970 to midway through the 1982 season, with a record at Kentucky State of 65–62–3.^[4]

Death and family

Smith was married to Mary L. Smith, who served as president of Kentucky State University from 1991 to 1998.^[5][6] He died on October 25, 2002.^[7]

References

1. Mississippi Valley State University coaching records Archived August 21, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
2. Tuskegee University coaching records Archived May 16, 2008, at the Wayback Machine
3. Kentucky State University coaching records Archived October 9, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
4. Kentucky State University Football Media Guide Archived 2006-09-02 at the Wayback Machine, Coaching Records
5. "Dr. Mary Smith-Stowe". The State Journal. December 2, 2020. Retrieved January 4, 2024.
6. Aulbach, Lucas (November 30, 2020). "Mary L. Smith, first woman to lead Kentucky State University, dies". The Courier-Times. p. 5. Retrieved March 24, 2021.
7. "Obituaries; Frankfort — Leroy Victor Smith, 69". Lexington Herald-Leader. Lexington, Kentucky. October 27, 2002. p. B4. Retrieved January 10, 2025 – via Newspapers.com .