Lyle Smith

Early life and playing career

Born in Steptoe, Washington, to Burrell F. and Addie (Humphrey) Smith, Smith's father and older brothers were ranchers.{{cite news |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=v7VeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=PzAMAAAAIBAJ&pg=4487%2C602233 http://lmtribune.com/brothers-ranchers-and-now-years-later-justin-and-hoot-smith/article_e7924913-acb0-581b-b734-3aa9925c3906.html --|work=Lewiston Morning Tribune |location=Idaho |last=Hedberg |first=Kathy |title=Brothers, ranchers |date=July 3, 1994 |page=1C}} Raised on the Palouse in Steptoe and Moscow, Idaho, Smith graduated from Moscow High School in 1934, after leading the Bears to consecutive state titles in basketball. He initially attended the University of Idaho's Southern Branch in Pocatello—now Idaho State University— where he was a two-sport athlete for the Bengals for 2 years as a linebacker and halfback for football and a forward for basketball. After exhausting his academic eligibility in Pocatello, he then returned to his hometown to attend the University of Idaho, where he also played football and basketball for the Vandals, a center on the football team under head coach Ted Bank, and a guard on the basketball team, coached by Forrest Twogood. His teammates at Idaho included future coaches Steve Belko and Tony Knap.

During Smith's senior football season of 1938, the team went 6–3–1, the Vandals' best record in over a decade; Idaho's last winning season in football for a quarter century and the best until 1971. Idaho was 2–2–1 in Northern Division play in the Pacific Coast Conference and undefeated in the four non-conference games, including a 16–0 shutout in the season finale in Salt Lake City over undefeated Utah, winner of its conference. The Vandals broke to an early 3–0–1 start and there was early talk of the Rose Bowl in the national press. Smith received a bachelor's degree in education in 1939 and embarked on a teaching career.

Military service and coaching career

Smith taught and coached for a year at Firth High School in southeastern Idaho, then married fellow 1939 UI graduate Maria Raphael of Weiser in 1940 and returned to Moscow to work in private employment in auto sales.}} when Babe Brown crossed town to coach the Vandal freshmen. Smith entered the U.S. Navy in June 1942 during World War II.

Smith served primarily as a physical training instructor, and returned to Moscow and completed his master's degree in education in 1946. to accept an offer to be an assistant football coach at Boise Junior College, and became its head coach the following year. Riding a 31-game winning streak in 1950, the team moved into a new 10,000-seat stadium. With the outbreak of the Korean War, Smith missed all but the first three games of the 1950 season and the entire 1951 season due to military duty. Boise won thirteen conference titles in football under Smith and the NJCAA National Football Championship in 1958.

Administrative career and honors

Smith stepped down as head coach and became the school's first full-time athletic director in November 1967; the Broncos began competition as a four-year school in 1968. He hired former Vandal teammate Tony Knap as head coach in December, and Knap's successor Jim Criner in 1976. Smith continued as head baseball coach through the 1973 season, then was succeeded by Ross Vaughn, a Ph.D. candidate in biomechanics and assistant coach at Washington State.

Smith retired at age 65 in July 1981, succeeded by Mike Mullally of Cal State-Fullerton. After just months on the job, Mullally resigned under pressure after a backlash at his new priority seating policy. He was replaced in March 1982 by assistant Gene Bleymaier,

At the final regular season home game before his retirement as athletic director, the playing field at Bronco Stadium was dedicated in Smith's honor on November 8, 1980. Boise State won the game over Nevada to secure the conference title and one of the four Division I-AA playoff berths in December. BSU won the opening-round semifinal over Grambling in Boise on "Lyle Smith Field" and the national title in Sacramento over defending champion Eastern Kentucky. Smith turned 100 in March 2016, and died in July 2017 at age 101.

Head coaching record

Football

Notes

References

References

1. (August 8, 1952). "Boise coach returns to head grid post". Spokesman-Review.
2. Cripe, Chadd. (August 11, 2017). "Lyle Smith kept this secret for 101 years. His sister let it out at his memorial". [[IdahoStatesman.com]].
3. (April 26, 1958). "Burrell Smith dead at 78". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
4. (December 4, 1996). ["Justin Smith, 87, longtime Idaho County rancher"](https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=dMVeAAAAIBAJ&sjid=9zEMAAAAIBAJ&pg=3419%2C817823 ). Lewiston Morning Tribune.
5. (2016-03-03). "99-year-old BSU legend talks with 6 On Your Side".
6. bjrains@idahopress.com, B. J. RAINS. (2017-07-26). "Father of Boise State football Lyle Smith passes at 101".
7. (March 10, 1951). "Nampa favored to win 2d title". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
8. [http://www.idhsaa.org/Records/1011/GirlsBasketball.pdf idhsaa.org] {{webarchive. link. (2012-10-01 – Basketball – Idaho high school state champions – through 2011)
9. (November 11, 1934). "Branch eleven to engage Colorado". American Falls Press.
10. (1939). "Football: Lyle Smith". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
11. (December 31, 1938). "Two Vandal cagers fitted for glasses". Spokesman-Review.
12. (1939). "Basketball". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
13. (March 23, 1938). "Belko and Smith lead Vandal five". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
14. (1938). "Football: 1937 player photos". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
15. (November 4, 1936). "Idaho Vandals work for game". Spokesman-Review.
16. (1939). "Football: 1938 team photo". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
17. (1939). "Football". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
18. Johnson, Bob. (February 1, 1965). "Dee Andros named Oregon State grid coach". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
19. (November 25, 1938). "Idaho machine rolls over Utah". Spokesman-Review.
20. "Idaho results: (1935-1939)". College Football Data Warehouse.
21. (October 21, 1938). "Idaho in Rose Bowl? It surely can happen". Milwaukee Journal.
22. (1939). "Seniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
23. (July 9, 1940). "Idaho man conducts at Hollywood Bowl". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
24. (August 29, 1940). "Merle Stoddard will be coach". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
25. (1939). "Seniors". Gem of the Mountains, University of Idaho yearbook.
26. (August 31, 1941). "Moscow High School gets bear cub for mascot". Spokesman-Review.
27. (March 5, 1942). "Moscow's district tourney representatives". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
28. (March 25, 1941). "Babe Brown to coach freshman at university". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
29. (June 12, 1942). "Lyle Smith receives notification from navy". Spokesman-Review.
30. Ourada, Patricia K.. (1994). "The Broncos: A History of Boise State University, 1932-1994". University Books.
31. (December 22, 1953). "Idaho plans thorough search for grid coach; Curfman out". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
32. (February 6, 1954). "Boise football coach out of Idaho picture". Spokane Daily Chronicle.
33. "Lyle H. Smith collection". [[Boise State University]].
34. (November 8, 1967). "Smith appointed athletic director". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
35. (December 15, 1967). "Lions lose assistant coach". Leader-Post.
36. (February 14, 1976). "Boise St. hires UCLA grid assistant". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
37. Prentice, George. (April 24, 2013). "Ross Vaughn: Boise State's boy of summer heads for home". Boise Weekly.
38. Squires, Sherry. (May 22, 2014). "New scholarship to honor Ross Vaughn". Boise State University.
39. "Ross E. Vaughn". Boise State University.
40. (May 12, 1981). "Mullally new A.D.?". Reading Eagle.
41. (May 13, 1981). "Boise names director". Spokesman-Review.
42. (March 2, 1982). "Boise's A.D. quits over ticket furor". Spokesman-Review.
43. (March 2, 1982). "Boise sacks AD over ticket flap". The Bulletin.
44. (March 2, 1982). "Boise AD out". Spokane Chronicle.
45. Cripe, Chadd. (September 8, 2011). "Quiet exit: Gene Bleymaier closes career as Boise State athletic director".
46. Boise State Broncos game day program – 1980-11-08 – Dedication of Lyle Smith Field – p. 8
47. (November 7, 1980). "If Reno beats Boise State, there will be a mad scramble for Big Sky title". Lewiston Morning Tribune.
48. "Boise State results: (1980-1984)". College Football Data Warehouse.
49. Katz, Michael. (2016-03-17). "Legendary Boise State Coach Lyle Smith Celebrates 100th Birthday". MagicValley.com.
50. . (July 26, 2017). ["Coaches, players remember Lyle Smith, the father of Bronco football"](http://www.ktvb.com/sports/lyle-smith-father-of-bronco-football-dies-at-101/459640475). *[[KTVB*.