Long-Time Lacrosse Publicist Doyle Smith Dies

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June 1, 2004

Charlottesville, Va. – Long-time University of Virginia associate athletic media relations director E. Doyle Smith, Jr., died in his sleep this morning at his Charlottesville home. He was 60.

Smith, who retired from the UVa Athletic Department in 1999 after 31 years of service, worked with most of UVa’s athletic teams during his career, but is best known for his work promoting intercollegiate lacrosse and the Cavalier men’s lacrosse team. He was one of the nation’s foremost authorities on the sport as his name is synonymous with the game’s history and record keeping.

His involvement with lacrosse began as a student at Johns Hopkins University in the 1960s where he served as team manager and statistician before enrolling at UVa to pursue a doctorate in the fall of 1968.

Smith served as the information director compiling the weekly rankings and statistics for the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) from 1973-95. The USILA’s annual media award is named in his honor. He was named the USILA Man of the Year twice (1984 and 1993) and received both the USILA’s Service Award and the General Gelston Award from HERO’S, Inc. He served as the coordinator of official statistics for the semifinal and championship games of the NCAA Men’s Lacrosse Tournament for many years, and was one of the first 10 individuals selected to the Virginia Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 1995.

He was inducted into the US Lacrosse National Hall of Fame in 2000 and is believed to be the first member who never played the game at some point.

In 1995, he was named honorary team manager for the NCAA’s 25th Anniversary Lacrosse Team, selected by current and former NCAA lacrosse committee members and coaches.

Smith’s contributions to lacrosse, and college athletics in general, garnered him many accolades. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) gave him the prestigious Lifetime Membership Award for his many years of service in athletic publicity, while the Virginia Sports Information Directors Association honored him with the VaSID Distinguished Service Award in 2000. He is also the only two-time recipient of the Bus Male Service Award for his untiring and devoted service to UVa athletics.

Earlier this year the Virginia Athletics Foundation established the Edward Doyle Smith, Jr., Men’s Lacrosse Scholarship, which will be awarded annually to that player who embodies dedication, precision and integrity on and off the field.

The UVa men’s lacrosse team’s award for the individual with the highest grade-point average each year is named in his honor.

Smith grew up in Corvallis, Ore., and graduated from Corvallis High School. He was a 1966 Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Johns Hopkins University with a major in American History and was a member of ODK National Leadership Fraternity. Smith received the Barton Cup as the outstanding student in his class at Johns Hopkins and shared the H Club Cup for contributing the most to athletics at Johns Hopkins. He earned three letters as a manager and statistician with the Blue Jay lacrosse team. Smith earned a master’s degree in American History from Johns Hopkins in 1968 and enrolled at UVa for graduate work in the fall of 1968.

He is survived by two sisters-Debbie Cunningham of Seattle, Wash., and Laurie Filstrup of Patchogue, N.Y.

Hill & Wood Funeral Service is in charge of the arrangements. Visitation will be Friday (June 4) from 2-5 p.m. A memorial service will be scheduled for a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Virginia Athletics Foundation’s Edward Doyle Smith, Jr., Men’s Lacrosse Scholarship.