Orlando "Tubby" Smith (born June 30, 1951 in Scotland, Saint Mary's County, Maryland) has been the head basketball coach at the University of Kentucky since 1997. He previously served as head coach at the University of Tulsa and the University of Georgia.

Coach Smith graduated in 1973 from High Point (N.C.) College, where he was a standout player. He coached at two High Schools before serving as an assistant coach at Virginia Commonwealth University, the University of South Carolina, and the University of Kentucky under then Head Coach Rick Pitino.

From 1991 to 1995, Smith led Tulsa to a 79-43 record. Rebuilding the basketball program his first two years, he then led the team to two consecutive Missouri Valley Conference regular season titles and two appearances in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament in 1994 and 1995. At Georgia, he led the Bulldogs to a 45-19 record in his two years from 1995 to 1997. His teams achieved a Sweet 16 finish in the 1996 NCAA Tournament and lost in the first round of the NCAA tournament in the 1997 NCAA Tournament.

In his first season at UK, he coached the Wildcats to their seventh NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Championship, including a come from behind victory against Duke in the Elite Eight (see 1998 NCAA Tournament). He is currently ranked sixth among active coaches in winning percentage and he has led teams to 11-straight 20-win seasons. Through the end of February 2005, his win-loss record is 237-68 at UK, and 361-130 for his career. Smith is the first African American to coach the Kentucky men's basketball program. Smith demands strong defensive play from his teams, but his teams at Kentucky have ranked low in their free throw shooting percentage.

Coach Smith was the recipient of the Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year Award for 2005.

Despite his success, Coach Smith has had to deal with much criticism at UK, where the fanbase is extremely demanding of its basketball teams. He has had trouble getting out of the shadow of Rick Pitino. Many critics note that his national championship team consisted of Pitino's players. However, while he has yet to win another national championship, his teams have continued to be successful.

External links

• Tubby Smith's bio at UK Athletic Site
• University of Kentucky Coaching Record at unofficial Fan Site

1951 births | Living people | American basketball coaches | American basketball players | Georgia Bulldogs basketball coaches | Kentucky Wildcats men's basketball coaches | South Carolina Gamecocks men's basketball coaches | Tulsa Golden Hurricane men's basketball coaches | People from Maryland | People from Oklahoma | People from Tulsa, Oklahoma