Larry Smith (American football coach)
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| Sport(s) | Football |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
September 12, 1939 Van Wert, Ohio |
| Died | January 28, 2008 (aged 68) Tucson, Arizona |
| Playing career | |
| 1959–1961 | Bowling Green |
| Position(s) | End |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1962–1963 | Shawnee HS (OH) (assistant) |
| 1964–1966 | Shawnee HS (OH) |
| 1967–1968 | Miami (OH) (DE) |
| 1969–1972 | Michigan (OL) |
| 1973–1975 | Arizona (AHC/DC) |
| 1976–1979 | Tulane |
| 1980–1986 | Arizona |
| 1987–1992 | USC |
| 1994–2000 | Missouri |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 143–126–7 (college) |
| Bowls | 3–6–1 |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
| 3 Pac-10 (1987–1989) | |
Larry Smith (September 12, 1939 – January 28, 2008) was an American football player and coach. He served as the head football coach at Tulane University (1976–1979), the University of Arizona (1980–1986), the University of Southern California (1987–1992), and the University of Missouri (1994–2000). In Smith's 24 seasons as a head coach, his teams were 143–126–7.
Smith was a native of Van Wert, Ohio, where he was a three-sport star at Van Wert High School, graduating in 1957. He earned an appointment to West Point, but transferred to Bowling Green State University a year later to pursue coaching. He played two-way end at for the Falcons, playing on a small-college national championship team as a sophomore in 1959; he won all-league honors as a junior and was team captain as a senior. Smith graduated from Bowling Green in 1962 with a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, and later earned a Master of Education from Bowling Green in 1967.
Known as a defense-oriented, no-nonsense coach, Smith began coaching as an assistant with Shawnee High School in Lima, Ohio for two seasons (1962–63) and then head coach the next three years (1964–66). In 1967 he joined Bo Schembechler's staff at Miami University, serving as defensive end coach for two seasons. He moved with Schembechler to Michigan, serving as offensive line coach for four seasons (1969–72). When fellow assistant coach Jim Young (Also a native of Van Wert, OH and high school football teammate) was hired as head coach at Arizona, Smith moved with him and served as the assistant head coach/defensive coordinator there for three years (1973–75).
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