Gene Smith says he hasn’t had any second thoughts about his decision to retire and says he hopes to be remembered for helping Ohio State athletes prepare for life after OSU.
last week just 10 days before the final day of his 19-year tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director, Smith felt ready to step away from leading the OSU athletic department and start the next chapter of his life.
Smith, who is moving to Arizona, says he doesn’t expect to make frequent trips back to Ohio State for sporting events. He will be at Ohio State’s home football game against Iowa in October, as he will be inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame that weekend, and he plans on making some trips to Ohio State sporting events when the Buckeyes play on the West Coast, such as when Ohio State men’s basketball opens its season against Texas in Las Vegas in November.
Although Smith expects most of his trips back to Columbus to be to play golf with his friends rather than attending Ohio State events, he’ll still be keeping close tabs on the Buckeyes and rooting for them to win. After all, Smith has built strong relationships with many of Ohio State’s athletes and coaches in his role as athletic director, so he’s invested in seeing them succeed.
“I'm just excited about all of them, but really excited about that one,” Smith said. “What is going to be cool for me is I know all the kids. And I want to see some of the young puppies play early. I'm hopeful that we have games where those backups can get in. That's going to be really cool for me to watch. But certainly that November game is circled.
On the field of play, Smith says his favorite moments from his tenure as Ohio State’s athletic director include the football team’s national championship in 2014 and the wrestling team’s national championship in 2015. Across the entire athletic department, Ohio State teams won 35 team national titles, including 12 NCAA championships, and 115 Big Ten championships during Smith’s time in Columbus.
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