Paul Boggs: Legendary 'Snuffy' Smith remembered
Jun. 14—Previous
Jim "Snuffy" Smith
Pictured is Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with the 2022 Southern Ohio Conference Division I football co-champion Northwest Mohawks.
Submitted photo by Brian Baer
The late Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with former Northwest High School track and field standouts Josh Shope (left) and Landen Smith (right).
Submitted photo by Sarah Smith
Jim "Snuffy" Smith
Pictured is Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with the 2022 Southern Ohio Conference Division I football co-champion Northwest Mohawks.
Submitted photo by Brian Baer
The late Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with former Northwest High School track and field standouts Josh Shope (left) and Landen Smith (right).
Submitted photo by Sarah Smith
Jim "Snuffy" Smith
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Jim "Snuffy" Smith
SCIOTO COUNTY — Scioto County student-athletes, coaches and fans became familiar with Jim "Snuffy" Smith's trademark hat.
But consider the many proverbial hats Smith wore.
He was an educator.
He coached football, track and field and girls basketball.
He was a track and field official for 53 years —being inducted into the Ohio High School Athletic Association Officials Hall of Fame.
He was probably most renown for his broadcasting role with football and basketball games involving Scioto County teams on radio stations WPAY and WNXT —and for 35 years the iconic Saturday Morning Sportsline radio program with WNXT.
Caring about people, though, was arguably Smith's greatest hat he ever wore.
The legendary Smith passed away unexpectedly on Tuesday night, as he was preceded in death by his wife Janice Shephard Smith in 2017.
He was a 1959 graduate of East High School, obtaining from Ohio University both Bachelor's (1963) and Masters' (1967) degrees.
He started his teaching career at McKinley Junior High School in 1963, began teaching at East in 1967, and taught for 34 years in the Portsmouth City School district prior to retirement.
He served as Southern Ohio Conference secretary and as a Sciotoville Community Schools governing board member as well, but by far his love for, caring of, and recognition of Scioto County student-athletes is what Smith should, and likely will be, remembered most.
Pictured is Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with the 2022 Southern Ohio Conference Division I football co-champion Northwest Mohawks.
Submitted photo by Brian Baer
Upon Smith's passing on Tuesday night, by Wednesday morning the Facebook tributes and elsewhere were pouring in —from Smith's former students to coaches to fellow OHSAA officials and his sportscasting fraternity.
"Had it not been for the positive influence of Jim Smith when I was his student at East in the 1980s, I likely would not have had entered education," said Tate Skinner, elementary building principal in the Manchester Local School District.
"What an encourager to me and my family," said Brian Baer. "There was not one time where we would see him that he wouldn't stop to check on us. He made you feel like you mattered. He will be greatly missed."
Anthony Maynard's memories of Smith stretched back to his playing days at East's rival New Boston, then eventually as Maynard made his way into coaching.
"I had many memories of 'Snuffy'. My very first time talking to him as a coach on the Saturday Morning Sportsline, I was very nervous since this was my very first time calling into the show. While I was waiting for my time to talk, I told 'Snuffy' I was very nervous. He told me to just relax and talk like I would to a friend and that's what I did. He was definitely one of a kind," recalled Maynard. "'Snuffy' was a great guy, coach and teacher. I remember listening to the Saturday Morning Sportsline every Saturday when I was in school and even after I graduated I still tuned in and listened. When I called into the radio station that day, I was filling in for the varsity girls coach at West. They asked me to call in and like I said I was nervous, but 'Snuffy' made it easy. I had several other opportunities to call in to the show and it was always a pleasure talking with him. I know a lot of old (New Boston) Tigers would tune in and listen to the show and hope when our basketball coach would talk about us to him, we listened to what he would say about us, especially if he did our game the night before. He just had a knack for that show."
Smith, in the winter of 2023, was honored with the renaming of East's Allard Park —to Jim "Snuffy" Smith Field at Allard Park.
One of the guest speakers was Northwest's Dave Frantz —now the retired district athletic director and boys track and field head coach.
The late Jim "Snuffy" Smith (center) with former Northwest High School track and field standouts Josh Shope (left) and Landen Smith (right).
Submitted photo by Sarah Smith
Frantz, on Wednesday, posted on his Facebook page with Smith's photograph.
"He was one of the hardest-working, dedicated, loyal, loving, selfless, and true great people who I have ever known. When I think of Southern Ohio sports, I think of 'Snuff'. As a coach, official, or announcer, he was always advocating for the kids. When he worked one of my contests, I was always amazed how he treated my kids. If they were an all-state athlete or that kid who participated so they could be a part of a team, he treated them all with the same love and respect. He had a way to make everyone feel special," wrote Frantz. "Snuff was also one I could turn to for advice. He paved the way of the many roads I have traveled. From teacher, coach, athletic director, official and Secretary/Treasurer of the Southern Ohio Conference of Schools, I knew he had faced about any issue which I dealt with. His mentorship meant more to me than one will ever know. One of my biggest honors was a couple of years ago when they honored 'Snuffy' at East High School during a basketball game. They had (former Valley High School head football coach and athletic director) Darren Crabtree, (WNXT broadcaster) Chuck Greenslate and I give a speech about him. They gave us a time limit and we just laughed. We could have been there for hours telling stories."
Kevin Colley, current Shawnee State University Sports Information Director and former staff writer for The Portsmouth Daily Times, told his story of meeting Smith —and a decade later covering Smith's honor of Allard Park being renamed.
"The first time I remember seeing 'Snuffy' was back in 2013. I believe he was still helping WNXT then, but not entirely sure. It was Wheelersburg's media day for football. I was a nervous wreck because I'm 21 years old, getting ready to be a junior at Shawnee State at that time, and it was my first go-around writing stories in terms of a preview of any kind as a stringer for the PDT. I knew what to ask, but still, it was uncharted territory for me being a newbie in this. Jim loved all the Scioto County schools, but I believe he had a special place in his heart for 'Burg and East, because of his experiences with the kids and coaches there. 'Snuffy', however, was never afraid to break the ice. He probably asked (Wheelersburg) Coach (Rob) Woodward more questions than anybody and small-talked with him more than all of us, but it was his cheerful way of asking them and his optimism that really stood out to me. I knew nothing of his background at that time, but from that initial time I was with him, I knew that he was something very special on his personality alone. He just had a great attitude for living life, an attitude that you hope everybody has, and had a peace about him that was unique, especially being in sports," recalled Colley. "The few times I saw him, that never changed. I recalled seeing him several times in 2013 and literally never seeing him without a smile on his face or without something optimistic to say about the games and players that he was watching. He truly loved Scioto County and being around the sports scene in it. My professional path took me different directions after I graduated from SSU, but people like 'Snuffy' were people I thought about when I took the job at the PDT and came back to Portsmouth to work for the Daily Times and he didn't even know me — that's how much of an impact his character had on me. Fast forward to 2023. When I saw and heard that East was going to have a ceremony to honor his legacy and announce that they were going to rename the field Jim "Snuffy" Smith Field at Allard Park, my thought was that it couldn't happen to a better person. I was excited to see him speak and interact with folks and having seen him on various occasions earlier in life, I knew he would be over the moon with being honored as such. The East administration really did a first-class job honoring him. It really spoke to how much he gave. I think the thing that stood out most to me is how much that gesture meant to him. He said that day that he had been crying all day, and battled through overcoming emotions to deliver a wonderful speech. East's gym was packed end-to-end and his presence just brought an energy to the table that fires me up to this day thinking about it. Jim "Snuffy" Smith was a great coach and a great media personality, but more than that, he is among the county's greatest ambassadors for kids, ever. If there were a Mount Rushmore for that, he is on the monument and at the center of it. There are people whose mere presence helps individuals believe and achieve more than they could ever dream of, and Jim was that person for so many at so many different high schools as he guided the direction of kids and saved so many kids lives' in the process. In terms of care, joy and love, Jim is one of the greatest personal examples in the history of Scioto County in those areas. He lived a distinguished life and is the epitome of that Scioto County pride that I know and love."
Indeed, caring for people was the greatest hat "Snuffy" Smith ever wore.
Surviving are his daughter Jennifer (Scotty) Thompson of Clarktown; sister Linda (Duke) Maraman of Tampa, Fla.; and his very special grandson Jeb Thompson.
A Celebration of Life will be held at 11 a.m. on Thursday (June 20) at the Brant Funeral Home in Sciotoville —with Dennis DeCamp officiating.
Interment will be in Memorial Burial Park.
Reach Paul Boggs at (740) 353-3101 ext. 1926, by email at pboggs@aimmediamidwest.com, or on X @paulboggssports © 2024 Portsmouth Daily Times, all rights reserved
