Hall of Fame
Head Coach Tom Smith retired after 25 years at MWSU and 38 seasons as a collegiate heach coach in March 2013.
Missouri Western head men’s basketball coach Tom Smith begins his 25th season at Missouri Western and his 38th season as a collegiate head coach in 2012-2013.
Smith started a Griffon tradition of winning basketball games in 1989 and coached his 900th career game two seasons ago against the University of Central Missouri, the place where his collegiate head coaching career began. Smith has been familiar with NCAA Division I and II basketball since joining the coaching fraternity as a young head coach at Central Missouri in 1975.
Smith’s style of coaching has put the Griffons among the top members of the MIAA and NCAA teams. Smith’s teams have always been up-tempo, high-energy and full of talent throughout his years at Missouri Western. Smith has coached the Griffons to 11 NCAA Division II National Tournaments, five MIAA regular season championships and four MIAA postseason tournament titles. Smith has also been named the MIAA’s Coach-of-the-Year twice during his tenure at Missouri Western and three times overall (once at UCM).
Smith has brought a number of talented players to St. Joseph throughout his career, including the MIAA’s Most Valuable Player, Lamont Turner, during the 2001-02 season and the MIAA Postseason Tournament Most Valuable Player, Damon Bailey, during the 2002-03 season. Smith has also coached All-America selections, Mike Cornelious (1990-91) and Darrol Wright (1994-95). Smith has coached 49 All-MIAA selections in his 23 seasons at Missouri Western, six All-Region/District picks and three NCAA All-Americas.
Smith became the third head coach in Griffon basketball history in April of 1988 and became the winningest coach in Missouri Western history on Jan. 21, 1998, surpassing the first Missouri Western basketball coach Gary Filbert. Smith reached another milestone on November 13, 2011 winning his 600th games in the season opener against Fontbonne University. He became the 11th coach in NCAA Division II to win 600 games. Smith became the seventh active coach in NCAA Division II to win 500 games on February 16, 2005, with a win over Southwest Baptist at the MWSU Fieldhouse. Smith is 448-279 at Missouri Western. Smith won his 400th game at Western on November 20, 2009 in a 89-58 victory over the Lincoln Blue Tigers in the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.
Smith is the winningest head coach in MIAA history with 534 wins under his belt at both the University of Central Missouri (1975-80) and Missouri Western (1989-present). In 36 seasons as a collegiate head coach at three different schools, Smith has compiled a 618-463 record, a .572 winning percentage that ranks him among the 20 top active coaches at the Division II level. Smtih coached his 1,000 career game against the University of Central Missouri on March 13, 2010 in the 2010 NCAA Division II Men's National Tournment. Only one other coach has taken a MIAA team to the same number of NCAA tournament appearances than Smith since the Griffons joined the league in 1989.
Smith was inducted into the Missouri Western State University Athletics Hall of Fame in September of 2006 and is also a member of the Missouri Basketball Coaches Hall of Fame. During the 2002-03 season, Smith led Missouri Western to a 23-8 overall record and claimed 2nd place in the MIAA regular season standings before winning the inaugural Sonic/MIAA Postseason Championships at Municipal Auditorium in downtown Kansas City. It was the Griffons 4th MIAA postseason tournament title under coach Smith.
In 2001-02, Smith was named the MIAA Coach-of-the-Year after leading the Griffons to a NCAA South Central Regional Tournament bid and a 23-7 overall record. The Griffons won the MIAA regular season title for the 5th time that season. Smith has guided the Griffons to 12 seasons of 20-plus victories and had a string of six straight seasons of 20 or more wins (1989-1995). Smith was also named MIAA Coach-of-the-Year and the NABC District Coach-of-the-Year following the 1989-90 season. In the fall of 2011 Smith's 1989-1990 team was inducted into the MWSU Athletics Hall of Fame. It was the Griffons first NCAA Division II Men’s Basketball team and they went 24-7 and won the MIAA Regular Season and Tournament Titles in their inaugural year in the league and advanced to the second round of the NCAA South Central Regional in their first tournament appearance.
Prior to coming to Missouri Western, Smith spent eight seasons as head coach at Valparaiso (Ind.) University, where he held a combined mark of 84-138. In his first head coaching job, Smith coached at Central Missouri from 1975-1980 where he held a mark of 86-46 in five seasons. His 1979-80 team compiled a 26-2 record, and was the top-ranked team in the Division II poll for nine weeks. Smith received Coach-of-the-Year honors in NCAA District V and the MIAA that season.
While at UCM, Smith served as a lecturer at the Ministry of Physical Education and Sport in Belgium, and directed the Belgian Junior Olympic program. Smith holds a bachelor’s degree in physical education from Valparaiso, having graduating in 1967. He was the captain of the school’s basketball team and received NCAA College Division All-America recognition.
Smith and wife, Patsy, the Associate Athletics Director at Missouri Western, reside in St. Joseph.
1988-89: 18-15
1989-90: 24-7, 14-2 MIAA - 1st MIAA North
1990-91: 23-8, 12-4 MIAA
1991-92: 22-10, 11-5 MIAA
1992-93: 21-7, 11-5 MIAA
1993-94: 20-9, 10-6 MIAA
1994-95: 26-5, 13-3 MIAA - T1st MIAA
1995-96: 17-10, 9-7 MIAA
1996-97: 20-9, 13-5 MIAA
1997-98: 23-7, 13-3 MIAA - T1st MIAA
1998-99: 22-7, 14-2 MIAA - T1st MIAA
1999-00: 20-9, 10-8 MIAA
2000-01: 18-9, 12-6 MIAA
2001-02: 23-7, 16-2 MIAA - T1st MIAA
2002-03: 23-8, 12-6 MIAA
2003-04: 14-15, 7-11 MIAA
2004-05: 13-15, 7-11 MIAA
2005-06: 17-11, 8-8 MIAA
2006-07: 12-15, 5-13 MIAA
2007-08: 9-18, 3-15 MIAA
2008-09: 14-16, 9-11 MIAA
2009-10: 18-12, 12-8 MIAA
2010-11: 12-16, 10-12 MIAA
2011-12: 9-17, 4-16 MIAA
2012-13: 10-17, 6-12 MIAA
Overall at Missouri Western: 448-279
MIAA Record at Missouri Western: 241-181
