Steve Smith one of five to be

inducted Thursday into 19^th Class

KEVIN JENISON

GoSycamores.com

TERRE HAUTE, IND. – Indiana State has had a long tradition of quality jumpers on the track & field team but few have excelled the way Steve Smith did during his four-year career as a Sycamore from 1991-1994. Smith is one of five individuals who will be inducted into the Indiana State University Athletics Hall of Fame next Thursday.

The induction ceremony and banquet, presented by Old National Bank, will be held at 7 p.m. (ET) next Thursday in the Tirey Hall Heritage Lounge and Ballroom located on the east side of the Indiana State University campus.

Smith was a member of the Sycamore track & field team during which time he was named an All-American four times in high jump and won two Missouri Valley Conference championships. He placed second at the 1994 NCAA Outdoor Championship, second at the 1991 and 1992 NCAA Indoor Championships, and fifth at the 1993 NCAA Outdoor Championship.

A three-time All-Conference Outdoor selection (1991, 1993, 1994), Smith was ranked third in the United States in 1994 and 10th in the United States in 1993. He was also named the recipient of the 1994 Hillman Outstanding Senior Athlete award.

“One of the most important things that I took from my experience at ISU was a sense of family,” Smith said. “In order to accomplish our team goals we had to function like a family. Although we had our fights, disagreements, and at times became dysfunctional, we still managed to focus and pull together to accomplish our goals.”

Smith said that being away from home for the first time and learning to work for and with his new “family” helped him to understand the importance of unity.

“Just like in life, we had to keep moving, keep working, keep pushing, and, most importantly, love and support the ones around us,” Smith said. “Having a better understanding of ‘family’, ‘unity’, and togetherness helped me and helped my career after college.”

Smith set the Indiana State indoor high jump record at 7’-4.5” (2.25 meters) in 1991 and set the ISU outdoor high jump record at 7’-7” (2.31 meters) in 1994. A three-time All-Missouri Valley Conference selection, he was named the MVC Outdoor Championship Field MVP in 1994. Smith is also a member of the Missouri Valley Conference All-Centennial Team.

He competed on the national and international scene for nearly a decade after signing with Nike International after graduation from Indiana State. Smith won the high jump competition at the 1999 Melrose Games in Madison Square Garden in New York, won silver at the 1994 Pan American Games, was second at the 1994 USA vs. Great Britain meet, placed second at the 1994 U.S. Outdoor Track & Field Championships, second at the 1995 and 1999 U.S. Indoor Track & Field Championship, and placed fifth at the 1995 World Indoor Championships. He also competed at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 1992, 1996, and 2000, and in the United States Olympic Festival in 1991, 1993, and 1994.

Smith credits the support system at Indiana State for his success after college.

“The support system that was provided for me at Indiana State gave me a template of how I should conduct my personal and professional life,” Smith said.”I think I learned the true definition of ‘fair’ while I attended ISU. ‘Fair is not giving everyone the same amount of time, energy, and effort. Fair is giving that one or two individuals that extra attention they need to keep them on pace with everyone else’.”

Smith is currently a key adviser in the School of Teacher Education at the University of Indianapolis, a position he has held since 1999 where he has used his definition of ‘fair’ to help students and student-athletes with transition to university life, academics, and career choices. He also is involved in the University of Indianapolis minority recruitment/retention effort, mentors and monitors minority student progress, and makes sure that the proper support systems are in place for them to be successful at the University of Indianapolis.

The other inductees include: John “Jay” Barrett, who played football from 1956 to 1958, Richard Dawson, who played football from 1981 to 1984, Mitch Hannahs, who played baseball from 1986 to 1989, and Denise Sharps, who was a member of the women’s basketball team from 1975 to 1977.

The inductees, along with current members of the ISU Athletics Hall of Fame, will also be recognized during the Indiana State Homecoming game against Illinois State on Saturday Oct. 9. The induction ceremony on Thursday will begin with a reception from 6 to 7 p.m. (ET) followed by the dinner and program at 7 p.m. (ET).