University of Vermont Athletic Hall of Fame
John A. Smith 1928 - Baseball, Football
John A. 'Jack' Smith, a 1975 UVM Hall of Fame inductee, was a football and baseball standout for the Green and Gold went on to become one of the most respected collegiate baseball coaches in the East, coaching for 20 years at Hofstra.
An outstanding defensive back at Vermont, he also was a fullback on offense and was an exceptional punter. In baseball, he played second base, teaming up with Hall of Famer, Jack Conway, giving Vermont one of its best ever keystone combinations.
After graduation from UVM in 1928, Jack coached football and baseball at New London School in Connecticut, where in 1937 he went to Hofstra where he became a living legend. Initially with the Flying Dutchmen he assisted in coaching three sports, football, basketball and baseball, but it was in baseball that he became a tremendously respected teacher.
In 1964, two years after he was forced to retire because of health, he received a citation from the Metropolitan (N.Y.) Coaches Association "in recognition and appreciation of his many contributions to the advancement of collegiate baseball in the Metropolitan area." He was also active in many community activities while at Hofstra, including church work, Rotary Club and Little League Baseball.
