Sonny Smith
| Sport(s) | Basketball |
|---|---|
| Biographical details | |
| Born |
November 15, 1936 Roan Mountain, Tennessee |
| Playing career | |
| 1954–1956 | Holmes CC |
| 1956–1958 | Milligan |
| Position(s) | Guard |
| Coaching career (HC unless noted) | |
| 1969–1970 | William & Mary (asst.) |
| 1970–1971 | Pepperdine (asst.) |
| 1971–1976 | Virginia Tech (asst.) |
| 1976–1978 | East Tennessee State |
| 1978–1989 | Auburn |
| 1989–1998 | VCU |
| Head coaching record | |
| Overall | 339–304 (.527) |
| Tournaments | 7–6 (NCAA) 0–1 (NIT) |
| Accomplishments and honors | |
| Championships | |
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| Awards | |
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Charles H. "Sonny" Smith (born November 15, 1936) is a retired American men's college basketball head coach. Originally from Roan Mountain, Tennessee, Smith served as a head coach for twenty-two seasons. Best known as the head coach at Auburn from 1978 to 1989, he also coached at East Tennessee State (1976–1978) and VCU (1989–1998). Smith won the 1985 SEC Tournament championship while at Auburn, and won both the CAA regular season and tournament titles in 1996 while at VCU. He made six NCAA Tournament appearances as a head coach, five at Auburn and one at VCU. Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2007.
Sonny Smith was hired by East Tennessee State in 1976. He coached the Buccaneers for two seasons before leaving to become the head coach at Auburn. Smith finished with a record of 30–23 (.566) while at East Tennessee State.
Sonny Smith was hired by Auburn in the summer of 1978 after the recently hired Paul Lambert died in a hotel fire. Smith took the Auburn job despite returning all of his starters from the year before and moving into a new arena at East Tennessee State.
Smith guided Auburn to its first ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 1984, led by future Hall of Fame player Charles Barkley. The Tigers were upset in the First Round, however, by the 12th-seeded Richmond Spiders. Smith was named SEC Coach of the Year following the 1984 season.
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