By Staff
Michigan's professional organization of school athletic directors, the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (MIAAA), has selected Fred Smith to receive its prestigious George Lovich State Award of Merit. Smith will be presented with the award on March 19, at the MIAAA Mid-Winter Conference in Traverse City, where over 500 athletic directors will be in attendance.
A "small town" guy, Smith grew up in Battle Creek and attended St. Phillip High School. He obtained his baccalaureate degree in education from Western Michigan University in 1979, and began teaching in 1981. Smith has spent the last 25 years shaping the minds of young people in western Michigan.
Smith began his career in education at Lake Michigan Catholic High School. After three years in the classroom, Smith became the Athletic Director at Lake Michigan Catholic and served in the capacity of Teacher / Athletic Administrator until 1991. In the fall of 1991, Smith became the Athletic Director at Comstock High School and has served in that capacity for the last 15 years.
Smith has received the two (2) top honors from the MIAAA for his accomplishments as an Athletic Administrator, being named MIAAA Regional Athletic Director of the Year in 1997, and MIAAA State Athletic Director of the Year in 2000. Aside from the awards that Smith has won at the state level, he has also been honored at the national level.
In 1999, Smith received the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (NIAAA) Commendation Award. In 2000, Smith received the NIAAA's Distinguished Service Award, and in 2004, he received the NIAAA's Thomas E. Frederick Award of Excellence.
Smith, who is recognized statewide as one of the strongest proponents of professional development for Athletic Directors, has served the MIAAA in many ways. He formerly held the Recording Secretary, 2nd Vice President, 1st Vice President, President, and Past President positions on the MIAAA's Board of Directors. Smith is the chairperson of the MIAAA's Professional Development Committee, and he is Michigan's coordinator for Leadership Training Courses. He is also a respected member of the MHSAA's Executive Council.
First Vice President of the Michigan Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association, Mike Garvey, had this to say about Smith, "Fred has mastered the combination of service and leadership. His work, organization and integrity are a model for all of us. The MIAAA Awards Committee could make no finer choice than to recognize the services that have been and will continue to be provided by Fred Smith. "
Kelley Howard, Assistant Principal at Comstock High School said, "We all expect to see the athletic director on the field or on the court. Fred's classroom extends to the auditorium, cafeteria and beyond. He is always teaching and promoting excellence. His grasp of the "total picture" is very keen and always student centered."
The late Don Knight, who was the athletic director at Otsego High School, will be honored posthumously as the Region 5 Athletic Director of the Year.
Both Comstock and Otsego are members of the Wolverine Athletic Conference, which Dowagiac joined in the fall of 2006.
The MIAAA is a 47-year old association with nearly 700 members serving as athletic administrators in numerous high schools and junior high/middle schools in Michigan. As partners with the Michigan High School Athletic Association, the MIAAA works to promote the educational value of interscholastic athletics and the role and profession of the athletic director. The MIAAA is very proud to spotlight the work of Fred Smith – a man whose work and values best mirror those of the association.