COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Saint John’s University head basketball coach Jim Smith will be honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Marquette Athletic Department and the school’s University Alumni Association in a ceremony on Friday, April 23, in Milwaukee, Wis.
A 1956 graduate of Marquette with a bachelor's degree in English and history, Smith was a four-year letterwinner on the basketball team. He also earned his M.Ed. in counseling and guidance from Marquette in 1961.
Smith ended his 46th season as a collegiate head coach with a 713-499 career record (.588) in 2009-10. The winningest collegiate basketball coach on any level in Minnesota, Smith gained his 700th win on Nov. 21, 2009, with a win over NCAA Division II MSU-Moorhead. Smith is the 27th coach in NCAA men's basketball history to win 700 career games.
Smith became the winningest coach in Minnesota collegiate basketball history on March 3, 2001, when SJU defeated Gustavus Adolphus in the second round of the NCAA Division III basketball championship tournament, passing legendary Hamline head coach Joe Hutton.
Smith has led his teams to seven MIAC titles, five MIAC playoff titles, nine trips to the NAIA tournament and eight trips to the NCAA Division III playoffs, including an appearance by the Johnnies in the 2000, 2001 and 2007 NCAA tournaments. Smith has won MIAC titles in each of the past five decades. Since 1964, SJU has enjoyed 31 winning seasons under Smith's direction.
A three-time NAIA District Coach of the Year, Smith is a past president of the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC). In 1992-93 and 2000-01, Smith was named the NCAA Division III West Region Coach of the Year. Smith also was named MIAC Coach of the Year in 2000-01, which is the sixth time in his career he has received that prestigious honor.
In addition to his duties as basketball coach, he is also an associate professor of physical education and has coached golf, cross country (1965-73) and track (1966-73) during his tenure on campus. Smith served as athletic director from 1994 to 2003.
Last year, SJU dedicated Jim and Adrienne Smith Court in Sexton Arena. Jim met Adrienne, Arts '56 and Grad '61, in an ethics class at Marquette.