Smith named to Hall of Fame

Wrestling has been a central part of Jeff Smith's long and accomplished life. He's given a lot to the sport he loves - and now the wrestling world has given back to him. Earlier this month, at a gala in Tigard, Smith was inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Oklahoma, honoring a lifetime of contributions to the sport.

Photo by Jim Cornelius

Jeff Smith of Sisters was inducted into the Oregon Chapter of the National Wrestling Hall of Fame for contributions to the sport.

Smith was drawn into the sport of wrestling in high school in Roseburg, Oregon, coached by a World War II veteran and POW named Walt Payne.

"He was a kid magnet," Smith recalled. "He had 110 kids on his wrestling team - by himself. What an amazing guy."

Smith found that he loved the sport.

"You're out there by yourself; you shake hands (with your opponent); you step back - you go after it," he said. "It's a great challenge. I was successful."

Smith placed second in the state of Oregon, between an athlete who ended up being third in the world, and another who lost but one match in college and went on to be an Olympian.

Smith went on to Oregon State University, where he competed under the legendary coach Dale Thomas, whom Smith described as "the greatest teacher I ever had."

The late 1960s was the start of OSU's heyday as a wrestling program, which would carry on through the 1970s. Smith placed second in a conference tourney in 1967. When he stayed on at OSU to obtain a masters degree, he stayed with the program as a coach. That was an expectation from Thomas.

"You were obligated to the program - and I was good for that," Smith said.

That was the beginning of Smith's role as a coach, which has continued to the present day. He went on to become an assistant coach under Ron Finley for five years while he pursued his doctorate at University of Oregon.

Establishing a career as a professor of political science at Cal State Dominguez Hills in Southern California did not divert him from the mats for long.

"My son Matt started high school at Huntington Beach and said he wanted to wrestle," Smith recalled.

Smith stepped in to become an assistant coach under Bob Rice - but the high school coach recognized immediately that Smith's depth of experience was greater than his own. The program was a success, and Smith was the driving force behind it for a decade.

"I never got paid, didn't have a title - but I was in charge," he said. "We had a great relationship. It was a great experience."

When Jeff and Ginny moved to Sisters in 1995, Jeff commuted to Cal State Dominguez Hills to continue teaching - but he still found time to coach Outlaws wrestlers in both middle school and high school, serving as head coach at Sisters High School for three years.

He worked with Coach Randy Robinson for a while - once an OSU teammate.

"Those were good years," Smith reflected.

Smith has also seen lengthy service on the Sisters School Board. For him, the work there and on the mats is of a piece.

"I have a commitment to education," he said. "And I think wrestling is a great way to help."

Wrestling, Smith believes, teaches young people "to challenge themselves to work hard to achieve goals."

The 79-year-old is planning to help Coach Kemp with Sisters Middle School wrestlers this season.

"I'm excited to do it," he said. "I can still get down on the mats. I'm just not sure I can get back up!"

Smith was gratified to be recognized for his contributions to wrestling. The Hall of Fame is not just about success on the mats - it's about giving to a sport that builds people up. Smith noted that one inductee this year was never a wrestler at all - she was a dedicated organizer of tournaments.

"You didn't have to be great - you just had to give a lot of time and energy to the sport," he said.

Author Bio

Jim Cornelius, Editor in Chief

Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.

• Email: editor@nuggetnews.com
• Phone: 5415499941