1994 HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE | CHARLES "SONNY" SMITH
Charles "Sonny" Smith of Richmond, Virginia, has been named to the Milligan College Athletics Hall of Fame. The Athletics Hall of Fame exists to honor outstanding athletes, coaches, and other significant participants in the athletics program of Milligan College.
Smith, a native of Roan Mountain, Tennessee, honed his basketball skills at Cloudland High School. The gymnasium there is now named in honor of Smith. From Cloudland High, Smith went to Holmes (Miss.) Junior College and finished his career at Milligan College where he earned his bachelor's degree in health and physical education in 1958.
Smith averaged 18 points during his two-year career at Milligan and was a two-time All-Conference choice. During his college years, Smith was an active member of the "M" Club, the Physical Education Club, and the track and basketball teams.
Following graduation from Milligan, Smith played AAU and semipro basketball. He averaged more than 30 points on a 13-game barnstorming tour that included pro standouts Jeff Mullins, Art Heyman, Rod Thorn and "Hot Rod" Hundley. After six years, Smith turned to coaching. He began in the high school ranks in Virginia, North Carolina, Indiana and Kentucky for 11 years before moving to the collegiate level in 1969.
Smith worked as an assistant coach at William & Mary for a season and at Pepperdine for one year before becoming an assistant coach at Virginia Tech from 1971-76. During his tenure there, the Hokies won the 1973 NIT Championships and earned an NCAA Tournament bid in 1976.
Smith is now entering his 19th season as a head coach, including his sixth at Virginia Commonwealth University. He has been the head coach at three schools including East Tennessee State from 1976-78, Auburn from 1978-89, and VCU from 1989 to the present. At each school, he has earned conference coach of the year honors. He has directed his teams to 20-win seasons, conference championships, and NCAA and NIT appearances, while developing a rash of talent for the professional level.
At ETSU, Smith turned a losing program into a winning one after just one year. His first team recorded a 12-14 worksheet before his 1977-78 team improved to 18-9. He was voted the Ohio Valley Conference Coach of the Year in 1978, and the Buccaneers were the Ohio Valley co-champions.
From ETSU it was on to Auburn in 1978, where he turned the Tigers into a national power over the next 11 years. No Auburn team had even earned an NCAA tournament bid prior to Smith taking them there for five consecutive seasons from 1984-88. His last six teams averaged over 18 victories per season, while Smith earned SEC Coach of the Year accolades in 1984 and 1986.
Since his arrival at VCU in 1989, Smith has put Virginia Commonwealth basketball back on the map, playing in the Metro Conference. In 1993, Smith earned Metro Conference Coach of the Year honors after leading VCU to a 20-10 record and appearances in the Metro Conference Tournament Championship game and the NIT.
Smith has had his hand in developing future NBA superstars Charles Barkley, Chuck Person, Chris Morris, Sherron Mills, Kendrick Warren and Kenny Harris. He is a popular speaker at coaching clinics, banquets and business conferences. An innovative offensive coach, he has written several articles for national coaching publications.
Smith is a devout tennis buff and an avid auto racing and baseball fan. He was a member of Dale Earnhardt's pit crew at the Winston 500 in 1985.
Smith and his wife, Janice, reside in Richmond. They have two children, Steve, 31, and Shari, 27.