SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in six years, Concordia University’s Devin Smith has been named the Great Plains Athletic Conference Athletic Director of the Year, as announced on Thursday (Aug. 20). The honor is voted upon by fellow Directors of Athletics within the conference. Smith garnered the same award following the 2014-15 athletic year. The Concordia Athletic Department includes 22 varsity sports programs.
An alum and member of the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame, Smith has overseen the athletic department at Concordia since June 2010. Bulldog Athletics seized the GPAC All-Sports Trophy title in 2014-15 and held the No. 1 position in the GPAC all-sports standings this past academic year prior to the coronavirus shutdown in the middle of March. Under Smith’s leadership, Concordia squads have captured the first three team national championships in school history – 2015 men’s outdoor track and field, 2016 women’s outdoor track and field and 2018-19 women’s basketball. All the while, the Bulldogs continue to be the NAIA’s all-time leader for number of Scholar-Athletes.
Smith has fostered an athletic department built upon the core values of family, Christ-centered, excellence, teamwork and passion. The mission of the Concordia Athletic Department states, “The Bulldog family, driven by the pursuit of excellence maximizes athletic, academic, spiritual and character development within a Christ-centered community.”
Some athletic department highlights in 2019-20 have included:
· More than 200 NAIA Scholar-Athletes (not officially announced).
· Seven GPAC Championships: women’s cross country, wrestling regular season and postseason, women’s basketball regular season and postseason, men’s basketball postseason and women’s indoor track and field.
· Final national rankings for seven fall/winter sports teams: women’s basketball (No. 1 when season ended), women’s indoor track and field (placed fourth in NAIA), women’s cross country (placed 12th in NAIA), volleyball (ranked No. 14 in postseason poll), wrestling (placed 15th in NAIA), men’s indoor track and field (placed 17th in NAIA) and men’s basketball (receiving votes).
During Smith’s tenure, Concordia has won a combined 37 GPAC titles (including 14 conference postseason championships) and has recorded 47 NAIA top 25 national finishes. Not only has that 10-year stretch featured three NAIA national titles, it has included four team national runner-up claims (two apiece by men’s track and field and women’s basketball). In addition, Concordia has recorded three recent top 20 NAIA-Learfield Cup Standings finishes with a high of 16th in 2015-16.
As Athletic Director, Smith has represented Concordia as an administrative liaison to the GPAC in the sports of cross country and indoor and outdoor track and field since 2015. In addition, he has served on the GPAC Conduct and Ethics Committee, as an NAIA National Administrative Council member and as part of a working group with NAIA Return on Athletics (ROA). Smith has been a key figure in the process of expanding and improving Concordia’s first-rate athletic facilities and has overseen a significant increase in student-athlete population. Furthermore, he has increased the exposure of those student-athletes by putting Concordia Athletics on radio airwaves via 104.9 Max Country.
Smith received his bachelor of arts in sports management from Concordia University in 1992. During his distinguished collegiate basketball career, Smith piled up 1,659 points and was a 1992 NAIA All-America selection for then head coach Grant Schmidt’s Bulldogs. Smith led his squad to the national tournament semifinals in 1992 after a national appearance in 1991. He also was an all-conference and all-district performer in track and field. He later received his masters of education in sport administration and physical education from Minnesota State University, Mankato in 1998.