Inside Athletics

The following was printed on Mike Smith's HOF plaque:

  One of the first two-sport standouts in the early history of the Siena Heights athletic department, Mike Smith competed in basketball and baseball for the Saints.  The prep star from Waterford Our Lady of the Lakes High School earned two letters in basketball and was a four-year letterwinner in baseball.

            Smith was the Saints’ ace during his four years on the Saints’ baseball team and was usually called on to face traditionally-strong NAIA foes such as Saginaw Valley State, Aquinas and Spring Arbor.  While Siena Heights was just beginning a baseball program, many of the Saints’ District #23 teams were well-established clubs.  Smith’s pitching skills and his determination on the mound made the Saints competitive in NAIA District #23. 

            The three-year captain enjoyed his finest season in 1979 when he earned a spot on the NAIA All-District #23 Team as a pitcher.  In one of the best outings of his career, he fanned twelve batters in a victory over Hillsdale College.  When Smith wasn’t on the mound for the Saints in ’79, he batted .323 as the designated hitter, which ranked second on the team his junior season.

            A dedicated and respected team leader on the Saints’ baseball team, Smith has continued to excel in his professional career as a highly successful business leader in the Cincinnati area; where he currently serves as the President/CEO of Music & Event Management, Inc. (MEMI); as Director of the Riverbend Music Center; and as Director of the Greater Cincinnati Tall Stacks Commission.  Smith is also highly respected for his civic leadership in the Cincinnati area as a trustee on the Dan Beard Council of the Boy Scouts of America and the I.A.T.S.E. Health & Welfare Fund.

            Mike resides in Northern Kentucky with his wife Donnalyn and their three children; Carly, Ryan, and Grant.  Mike and his family also own and breed thoroughbred race horses.