Smith was born in Portland, Oregon and graduated from Thomas Jefferson Senior High School in Council Bluffs, Iowa.[2] He then enrolled at Iowa State Teachers College (now the University of Northern Iowa), where Smith won back-to-back NCAA wrestling titles at 165 pounds in 1949 and 1950. As a team, Iowa State Teachers College finished as NCAA Runners-Up in 1949 and NCAA Champions in 1950. He also won three Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) national titles.[3] In 1978, Smith was inducted into the National Wrestling Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Member.[4] Thomas Jefferson High School dedicated their Wrestling room shortly after they rebuilt their Activities Center Building in 2008. Smith died on March 20, 2018, at the age of 89. Intermat Wrestling website posted an article on Smith citing his accomplishments.[5]
