George and Helen Smith Museum Officially Dedicated

June 23, 2006

      CINCINNATI, Ohio - The University of Cinicinnati's George and Helen Smith Athletics Museum was officially dedicated on Sat., June 17, at a private ceremony in the Richard E. Lindner Athletics Center.  Named after former basketball coach and Director of Athletics, George Smith and his wife, Helen, the museum envelops the fourth floor of the new Lindner Center and features championship trophies, murals of former athletes and audio/video presentations for each current UC sport.   

 

      Smith, a native of Mount Vernon, Ohio, graduated from UC in 1935 after earning All-Ohio honors in football for the Bearcats.  He served as a naval lieutenant during World War II and returned to UC in 1948 as freshman football coach.   A pioneer in the football industry, Smith helped design and develop a patented iron face-bar, a forerunner to today's facemask.

     

      Smith also coached the freshman basketball team from 1948-51.  After taking the reigns of the varsity basketball program in 1952, he guided the Bearcats to national prominence, including berths in two Final Fours.  He coached UC legends Oscar Robertson and Jack Twyman.  Smith was promoted to director of athletics in 1960 and oversaw former assistant coach Ed Jucker lead UC to back-to-back national championships in 1961-62.

 

      Smith was named vice president for development in 1974 and retired from UC in 1980.  He was inducted into UC's Athletics Hall of Fame in 1978 and passed away in 1996.

 

      The museum contains plaques of each of the 147 members of the UC Athletics Hall of Fame, while a list of All-Americans resides on the sixth floor of the building. 

 

      The museum is open daily from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. and is open to the public.