Birth Date: April 1, 1945

Birth Place: Dunbar, Virginia

High School: Hicksville (New York)

College: The Kings College (NY), B.A. Social Studies Education, 1967;

Montclair State College (NJ), M.A. Social Sciences, 1971; Fresno

State University (CA), M.A. Physical Education, 1982

Coaching Experience: The King's College, Assistant coach 1967-1973,

Head Coach 1973-1978; Fresno Pacific College (CA), Head Coach

1978-1983; Malone College, Head Coach 1983-Present

 

Starting out as the freshmen men’s basketball coach at King’s College for six years (1967-73) and posting an 83-38 record during that time, Smith now enters his 34^th season as a head coach on the NAIA level (career record of 619-448 -- .580) and his 24^th season at Malone.  The winningest basketball coach in Malone's history, he has a record of 445-299 (.598) at the college and his 445 Malone wins is more than all other Pioneer men's basketball coaches victories combined.  His 619 overall victories ranks him sixth (# of victories) among active NAIA coaches and, on January 25, 2005 in a 91-88 win at Ohio Dominican University, he became just the 49^th collegiate head men’s basketball coach (at all levels) to reach 600 wins.

 

Smith has led the Pioneers to 20 winning seasons in his 23 years at the helm, as well as directing the Pioneers to the NAIA national tournament twice.  In addition, he led Malone to the NCCAA Division I National Championship in 1996.

 

Smith has also garnered many national honors including being elected to the NAIA Hall of Fame (coaches division) in 1994.  He was selected as a coach for the '94 U.S. Olympic festival in St. Louis, Missouri where he was an assistant coach under then Wisconsin head coach Stu Jackson.  In addition, Smith was named the NACDA Athletic Director of the Year for the NAIA's Northeast Region in 1998-99.

 

Smith is currently on the NAIA Div. II Rating Committee and has served as a member of the NAIA National Coordinating Committee and as chair of the NAIA Council of Athletic Administrators.  He also served on the NAIA Regional Enhancement Task Force.  In addition, he was the President of the NAIA Basketball Coaches Association, is chair of the AMC men's basketball coaches association and, in 1991, was chosen NCCAA National Coach of the Year.  Smith garnered another outstanding honor recently having received the National Association of Basketball Coaches Service Award, an honor bestowed upon a select few among all coaches at all levels, high school and college, as selected by their peers.

Hal is also one of the founders of the “Hoops 4 Healing Foundation”, which raises awareness of liver disease and promotes liver disease research through various means including holding charity golf and basketball tournaments.  Hal had a liver transplant in 2000 and is presently on a waiting list at the Cleveland Clinic for another liver transplant.

 

Smith is also widely recognized at the local level.  He has spoken at many area high schools and colleges as well as various sports organizations, business groups and churches.

 

Smith has been serving as the Athletic Director since 1987 as well as being an Associate Professor in the Physical Education Department.  He has also served three terms on the College’s Faculty Senate and was the Dean of Students at Malone one year.  In addition, he is dedicated to the academic and spiritual development of his students and student-athletes.            

 

Coach Smith and his wife, Barbara, live in Canton and have three married children, all of whom have strong ties to Malone College.  Daughter Heather, a 1991 Malone graduate, is married to Todd Clark, a 1993 Malone grad; son Dan, a 1994 Malone graduate, is married to Andrea, who also attended Malone; and daughter Janell, a 1999 Malone graduate, is married to 1997 Malone grad Heath Sizick.  Hal and Barbara also have six grandsons, Christopher, Nate, Jonah, Zachary, Benjamin and Samuel and two granddaughters, Halle and Elise.