CLEVELAND – The FBS Athletics Directors Association is proud to announce that Gene Smith, AD/Emeritus at The Ohio State University, has been named the 2026 recipient of the prestigious Homer Rice Award. Smith will be honored at the FBS AD Association Meeting on June 9 during the NACDA & Affiliates Convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
 
Smith's journey in athletics began at Notre Dame. There, he graduated with a degree in business administration and played football for the Fighting Irish, winning an Associated Press national championship in 1973. His time as a student-athlete provided the foundation for a career defined by excellence and dedication to student-athlete development. 
 
Smith's professional trajectory included serving as the athletics director at Eastern Michigan, Iowa State and Arizona State before embarking on his transformative 19-year tenure at Ohio State. There, he led one of the nation's largest and most successful athletics programs.
 
His leadership prioritized the holistic development of student-athletes, ensuring academic and athletic excellence went hand in hand. Under his guidance, Ohio State achieved record numbers of scholar-athletes and academic honors. Specifically, the athletics program achieved a multiyear Academic Progress Rate of 993 in 2023, the highest in school history. In 2022-23 alone, Ohio State reported 765 scholar-athletes, 190 Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholars and six Academic All-Americans.
 
On the field, Ohio State dominated Big Ten Conference play during Smith's tenure, with 115 team and 369 individual conference championships. Ohio State teams won 35 team and 127 individual national championships during that time. 
 
Beyond the academic and athletic success that he oversaw at Ohio State, Smith has profoundly influenced the landscape of college athletics. He served on numerous NCAA and Big Ten Conference committees and served as a member of the College Football Playoff Committee. He also chaired the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Committee. 
 
His contributions to negotiating major broadcasting contracts and his leadership on the NCAA Board of Governors Federal and State Legislation Working Group to study name, image and likeness opportunities underscore his pivotal role in shaping intercollegiate athletics.
 
Smith's philosophy as a leader extended beyond the administrative realm. His emphasis on personal growth and mentorship became central to his legacy at Ohio State, where he founded the Eugene D. Smith Leadership Institute. The institute offers programs such as internships, job shadows and leadership academies to prepare student-athletes for life after graduation. In 2022-23, 95% of Ohio State's graduating student-athletes had job offers, were accepted into graduate school or were pursuing professional sports.
 
Programs within the institute, such as the Bucks Go Pro internship program, provide paid internship opportunities across various industries, while leadership academies focus on skills like public speaking, networking and financial literacy. These initiatives aim to equip student-athletes with the tools necessary for success in their post collegiate careers.
 
Desireé Reed-Francois, Vice President and Director of Athletics at the University of Arizona & Chair of the FBS AD Association, praised Smith's career, stating, "Gene Smith's career represents the very best of college athletics leadership. His commitment to student-athlete success—academically, competitively, and personally—has set a standard that will impact our profession for generations. From his transformative leadership to his influence on national policy and governance, Gene has consistently elevated those around him and strengthened the foundation of intercollegiate athletics. He is a trusted leader, an innovator, and a mentor to so many of us in this profession. It is an honor to recognize him with the Homer Rice Award."
 
Reflecting on the honor, Smith said, "Homer Rice holds a very special place in my heart. Homer went out of his way to welcome me to the table at a time when not everyone did. Homer set a standard I worked hard to live up to, and to win an award in his name is incredibly humbling to me. It is also a great honor to receive an award from many of my peers in the FBS. I am filled with gratitude."
 
The Homer Rice Award, named after the legendary former Georgia Tech athletics director and founder of the Division 1A Athletic Directors' Association/LEAD1 (now the FBS AD Association), is presented annually to a retired FBS athletics director who has served for at least 10 years and made significant, lasting contributions to college sports.

About the FBS Athletics Directors Association: The Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Athletics Directors Association, founded in 1986, represents the athletics directors of the 134 member universities of the FBS, encompassing 42 states, 55,000 student-athletes, and more than 25,000 athletics administrators. Key to the FBS Athletics Directors Association's mission is to bring together FBS athletics directors to advocate and drive results on key issues that focus on the success of student-athletes and the advancement of college athletics.