Smith joined the Bulldogs as an assistant athletic trainer in 2012 and has spent a decade covering the A&M football program during his time in Huntsville, Alabama.
PROFESSIONAL CAREER
Prior to his time caring for Bulldog student-athletes, Smith worked at Lake Orion High School in Michigan where he covered all sports and Mauston, Wisconsin where he started a sports medicine program for the Mile Bluff Medical Center and helped provide coverage to four local high schools.
Following his time up north Smith served as the head athletic trainer and strength and conditioning coach at Oklahoma Panhandle State beginning in 1999.
He also served in the latter two roles at Aurora University (Aurora, Ill.) beginning in 2004. While there he covered football, basketball and baseball and was promoted to head athletic trainer in 2006.
COLLEGIATE CAREER
A former student-athlete himself, Smith went to Adams State in Alamosa, Colorado, then an NAIA member, and was a key member of a powerhouse wrestling program. The Grizzlies won the national title during his freshman year in 1990 and would follow with a sixth place outing the following year and a runner-up finish in 1992.
In the latter campaign he earned the final NAIA All-American honor in that program’s history, finishing eighth in the nation in the heavyweight division. Following his collegiate career, Smith maintained that competitive edge, competing all across the country in the Highland Games, Strongman competitions and Olympic Weightlifting and Powerlifting.
CERTIFICATIONS
Smith is certified with the National Athletic Trainer’s Association (NATA) and also holds certifications with the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). He is also credentialed as a Performance Enhancement Specialist with the National Academy of Sports Medicine.
EDUCATION
While at Adams State, Smith earned undergraduate degrees in Athletic Training and Sport and Exercise Management in 1993. He would go on to earn his Master’s in Exercise Physiology.
PERSONAL
A native of Sparta, Wisconsin, Smith resides in Huntsville with his two puppies, Ashla and Aifa.
