Lee Roy Smith will be inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame on Friday, honoring a career that spanned success as a wrestler, coach, broadcaster and executive. The Oklahoma State legend helped shape the sport at every level for more than four decades.
Friday will mark another historic moment for Oklahoma State wrestling as Lee Roy Smith is inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.
For Smith, the honor represents a lifetime dedicated to the sport from nearly every angle imaginable.
"This is an extraordinary, gratifying and humbling opportunity," Smith said. "To be honored by the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a distinguished member, there's nothing like it. At this stage in my life, it's even more gratifying because I can reflect on being a wrestler, a coach, an administrator and an executive director at the National Wrestling Hall of Fame."
Long before becoming one of the most influential figures in American wrestling, Smith was a standout competitor.
A Del City High School product, he became the first wrestler in Oklahoma history to win two state championships before bringing that success to Oklahoma State. In Stillwater, Smith established himself as one of the top wrestlers in the country, earning three All-America honors, four Big Eight individual championships and the 1982 NCAA title at 142 pounds.
His success continued on the international stage, where he captured a silver medal at the 1983 World Championships and another silver medal at the 1984 World Cup.
But Smith's impact on wrestling extended far beyond his own accomplishments on the mat.
After his competitive career, he joined the Oklahoma State coaching staff, helping develop future champions, including his younger brother John Smith during the Cowboys' dominant run in the 1980s.
From there, Smith moved to USA Wrestling, serving as the organization's national freestyle coach. During his tenure, he coached six world champions and three Olympians, helping strengthen the United States' presence on the international wrestling scene.
Smith later returned to the college ranks as head coach at Arizona State, where he spent nine seasons without a losing record. He earned four Pac-10 Coach of the Year awards, coached 28 All-Americans and guided the Sun Devils to five conference championships and five top-10 NCAA finishes.
His influence even reached the broadcast booth, serving as a wrestling analyst for NBC's coverage of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta and the 2000 Olympics in Sydney.
Perhaps one of his most important contributions came off the mat.
In 2004, Smith became executive director of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater. He helped lead the organization through financial challenges, secured funding for major renovations and played a key role in expanding the Hall of Fame's national reach and influence.
Few individuals have impacted wrestling as a competitor, coach, administrator and ambassador the way Smith has.
That's what makes this Hall of Fame induction so fitting.
The award isn't simply recognition for what Lee Roy Smith accomplished in wrestling. It's recognition for everything he gave back to the sport throughout his life.
