Tubby Smith

Birth Date:	12/31/1969
Height:
Weight:	0lbs.
Position:	Head Coach

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Tubby Smith came to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers men’s basketball team on March 23, 2007. In Smith’s 16-year career, he has claimed a National Title with Kentucky in 1997-98, made four Elite Eight appearances, nine Sweet Sixteen appearances and has appeared in 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments overall. He has also led his team to 14 straight 20-win seasons and has the 13th-best active winning percentage of any coach in Division I basketball with a record of 387-145.

Tubby Smith is among only four active coaches in Division I basketball to have led three different programs to the Sweet Sixteen. In his career, he guided Tulsa to two Sweet Sixteens and Georgia to one along with the six Smith had at Kentucky.

When Tubby Smith makes it to the NCAA Tournament, all he does is win. Smith owns the sixth-best tournament record among active coaches. He is currently 29-13 in the tournament. Smith has made 14 straight appearances in the NCAA Tournament.

On five separate occasions, Tubby Smith has been named a conference coach of the year. He has also collected national coach of the year honors on three different occasions. Tubby Smith has been one of the best coaches in history in sending his college players to the NBA. He has sent Rajon Rondo, Nazr Mohammed and Tayshaun Prince among 14 others all to the NBA.

Tubby Smith is new to the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers, but he spent 10 seasons in Kentucky, where he led the Wildcats to the 1998 National Championship. He also made four Elite Eight and won five SEC titles with Kentucky. In his 10 seasons at Kentucky, Tubby Smith averaged 26 wins per season.

Tubby Smith made further history at Kentucky when he led his team to a 16-0 record in SEC regular-season play and went on to win the SEC Tournament Championship. It was the first time since 1952 that an SEC team has completed both the conference regular season schedule and the SEC Tournament without a loss.

Tubby Smith is a 1973 graduate of High Point, North Carolina College. Smith was an all-conference performer as a senior. He played under three different head coaches and earned a Bachelors degree in health and physical education.

Tubby Smith is the sixth of 17 children raised on a farm in southern Maryland. He and his wife Donna, have three sons: Orlando, Saul and Brian. Saul Smith is currently an assistant coach on his father’s Minnesota coaching staff.