Gene Smith is receiving one of the NCAA’s highest honors for his decades of leadership in college athletics.
The former Ohio State athletic director was named Tuesday as the 2025 recipient of the NCAA’s Gerald R. Ford Award, which honors “an individual who has provided significant leadership as an advocate for intercollegiate athletics on a continuous basis over the course of a career.” Smith will be honored at the 2025 NCAA Convention in Nashville.
“To be recognized alongside those who have previously received this award is humbling,” Smith said in an NCAA news release. “This honor is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone I've had the privilege to work with throughout my career.”
Smith, who was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame this fall, was Ohio State’s athletic director for 19 years before retiring this past June. He was previously the athletic director at Eastern Michigan (1985-93), Iowa State (1993-2000) and Arizona State (2000-05).
"I'm most proud of the fact that I was able to inspire coaches and their support staff and everyone around them to help the student-athlete be the best that they could be," Smith said. "I reverted back to my opportunities as an athlete and everything that I learned … and what I learned through my experience is that everything is about people in life."
A visionary athletics director and advocate for student-athlete development.
— NCAA (@NCAA) December 10, 2024
The 2024 Gerald R. Ford Award winner and former @NDFootball student-athlete, Gene Smith, transformed @OhioStAthletics and made a lasting impact on college sports!#NCAA | https://t.co/V1LJlrpQKc pic.twitter.com/nku4WdDX2M
