Hall of Fame
The late Elmer Smith is generally recognized as the “Father (or perhaps) Grandfather” of modern era Southern Arkansas University athletics. Smith arrived at SAU when it was still a junior college (Magnolia and then State A&M) in 1946 following World War II. He had to start from scratch since there had been no football here since 1941. His second team in 1947 went 9-2-1, ending with a scoreless tie in the Cajun Bowl in Lake Charles, La., against McNeese State in a hurricane. His Muleriders had opened that season with a 6-0 win over McNeese in Magnolia. His 1948 team won the Arkansas Intercollegiate Conference championship (AIC) with an overall 8-2 record and defeated Eastern Oklahoma A&M 41-12 in the Papoose Bowl.
In SAU’s first senior class year, 1951, SAU won the AIC with a 9-1 overall record, going unbeaten in conference play. SAU repeated in 1952, winning the AIC title with a 10-1 overall record, going unbeaten in the conference. Both in ’51 and ’52, the only ‘Rider losses were to Division I opponents.
His overall football record was 54-27-2 for a .651 percentage in eight years. He also served as head basketball coach at SAU, winning 108 games and losing 74 for a .593 percentage over seven years.
Smith joined Paul (Bear) Bryant at Texas A&M in 1954 and served as assistant coach for Bryant from ’54 through ’57, Jim Myer from ‘58-’61, Hank Foldberg from ’62-’64 and as assistant head coach for Gene Stallings from ’65 until 1971. He retired to his cabin on Petit Jean Mountain across from Rockefeller Farms until his death in 1987.
A four-sport star at Hendrix College, the Casa, Arkansas, native was known as the “Casa Giant” during his playing days. He was formerly inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame in 1968, introduced by former Aggie player and then head coach, Gene Stallings. He was posthumously inducted in the Hendrix College Hall of Fame in 1994. He was inducted in the 2003 SAU inaugural class as a coach.
