Six-Member CoSIDA Hall of Fame Class of 2022 Highlights Special Award Honorees
Bob Smith – Formerly of Rutgers University (Sports Information Director)
Past CoSIDA President
SID trailblazer as first Black President of CoSIDA.
Bob Smith, who passed away in 2017, served as Rutgers University’s Sports Information Director from 1969-1994.
He was the first African-American to be named President of CoSIDA when he held the position in 1987-88. He served on CoSIDA Board of Directors for seven years (1984-85 through 1990-91, serving in the past president role for three years.)
Prior to his service at Rutgers, Smith was the Athletic Director at Maryland-Eastern Shore from 1965-68. He began his career in college athletics at NCAA Division II Lincoln University, his alma mater, where he was head men’s basketball coach, track and field coach and assistant football coach from 1956-65.
Smith was inducted into the Lincoln Athletic Hall of Fame in 2012 for both his coaching and athletic accomplishments. He earned 12 letters in football, basketball and baseball from 1948-53. Smith was All-Conference in each sport and earned the Legend Award.
After graduating from Lincoln University in 1953, Smith earned a master of arts in American Literature from the University of Pennsylvania in 1962.
Updated March 2022