| Gene Smith is the athletic director (or AD for | | | | location of the main OSU campus. Smith was an |
| short) of the Ohio State University (OSU) | | | | athlete in his youth at St. Peter Chanel High School |
| Buckeyes athletic program. Mr. Smith oversees a | | | | in nearby Bedford, Ohio and went onto the |
| diverse assortment of both men's and women's | | | | University of Notre Dame in Indiana where he |
| sports for a school that has the unique distinction | | | | earned an athletic scholarship as a defensive end |
| of being one of just four colleges to have won | | | | for the football team. |
| national championships in men's football, basketball, | | | | Before graduating from Notre Dame in 1977 |
| and baseball. | | | | Gene was part of the 1973 national championship |
| The official appointment of Gene Smith to the | | | | football team. Gene got his diploma in business |
| heralded position of athletic director for Ohio | | | | administration and stayed with his alma mater as |
| State occurred on March 5, 2005. In leading up to | | | | an assistant coach with the football program until |
| his position as the head of one of the most | | | | 1981. |
| robust college sports programs in the country | | | | In 1981 Gene Smith experimented with a brief |
| Gene acquired relevant work experience while | | | | career stint outside the realm of college athletics |
| serving as the athletic director at Eastern | | | | when he accepted a job in the marketing |
| Michigan, Iowa State, and Arizona State. | | | | department of International Business Machines |
| While many casual fans predominately think of | | | | (IBM). After two years in the private sector |
| football and basketball when they think of college | | | | Smith realized that his true calling was a lifelong |
| athletics the spectrum of varsity sports is really | | | | career devoted to collegiate sports. |
| quite diverse. In total Mr. Smith oversees | | | | In 1983 the Ohio native found a position at |
| approximately 900 student athletes that span a | | | | Eastern Michigan University where he was able to |
| gauntlet of 39 varsity sports (20 women and 19 | | | | serve as an assistant athletic director. In 1986 |
| men). The Buckeyes have won national | | | | Gene became the full time head athletic director |
| championships in numerous sports that are often | | | | at Eastern Michigan. Seven years later in 1993 |
| forgotten about including synchronized swimming, | | | | Gene became the AD at Iowa State University |
| gymnastics, and fencing. | | | | where he dutifully served until the year 2000 |
| Long before carrying the burden of the highly | | | | when he moved across the country to Tempe, |
| scrutinized position of Ohio State University | | | | Arizona to accept the position as athletic director |
| athletic director Gene Smith was raised in | | | | of Arizona State University. |
| Cleveland, Ohio not far from the Columbus, Ohio | | | | |