Ron Smith (minors08)

Ronald E. Smith

• Bats Right, Throws Right
• Height 6' 0", Weight 175 lb.
• School University of Waterloo
• High School Glenview Park Secondary School

• Born January 28, 1944 in Galt, ON Canada
• Died January 3, 2017 in Hamilton, ON Canada

BR minors page

Biographical Information

Ron Smith was a minor league player who later coached in the NHL.

Smith played football, basketball and track and field in high school and also was involved with baseball and hockey outside of school. He was the first athlete from his hometown of Galt, ON to sign with a major league club when the San Francisco Giants signed him. He hit .248/.309/.267 for the 1964 Magic Valley Cowboys and fielded .943 as the backup second baseman. In 1965, he produced at a .204/.285/.359 clip for the Decatur Commodores and fielded .907 while backing up Hector Torres at short. He then decided to go to college. He would remain active in baseball with the Kitchener Panthers of the Intercounty Baseball League.

He hit a home run in Team Canada's 3-2 win over Puerto Rico in the 1967 Pan American Games for Canada's first win ever on the international stage. It was his last game for the team as he and three teammates were then banned from play because they had played professionally and were thus ineligible.

From 1968-1974, he played semipro hockey (primarily for his hometown Galt Hornets), averaging over a point per game every season for which statistics are available. He also coached high school hockey and football teams at his alma mater. He later was Technical Director of the Ontario Hockey Association and head hockey coach at York University. He then was an assistant NHL coach, twice being the assistant when the Vancouver Canucks went to the Stanley Cup Finals. He also was head coach for the New York Rangers briefly, going 15-22-7 in 1992-1993.

Sources

• 1965-1966 Baseball Guides
• Cambridge Sports Hall of Fame
• Internet Hockey database
• Info on the 1967 Pan American Games