From Roanoke, VA, Dave Smith attended Virginia Tech and began his career in athletics as Ferrum College’s first Sports Information Director, before joining the Franklin News Post in Franklin County as a sports reporter, however it was his next move where he would have his greatest impact. In 1975 Smith joined Virginia Tech Athletics as assistant Sports Information Director with a focus on men’s basketball and baseball, beginning a 40-year run with the athletics department. With those two programs, Smith worked closely with fellow Virginia Sports Hall of Fame inductees, Dell Curry and Bimbo Coles on the basketball side, and longtime Virginia Tech head baseball coach, Chuck Hartman. In 1998, he was named the primary Virginia Tech Football Communications Contact, which included being the media liaison and managing all interview requests for legendary Virginia Tech football coach, Frank Beamer. While Virginia Tech football saw growing success on the field, Smith and his team were instrumental in building the brand of Virginia Tech Football through storytelling and player promotion. Smith also played an integral role in the development of the Virginia Tech Athletics Hall of Fame, serving as the liaison between the athletics department and the selection committee. Colleagues of Smith would use words such as loyalty, integrity, honesty, service, dedication, thoughtful, dependable, and accurate, when discussing his career. Previous accolades include the Distinguished Service Award from VASID (2013), the Lifetime Achievement Award by College Sports Communicators (2015), formerly known as The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), and in 2019 he was inducted into the Virginia Tech Sports Hall of Fame.
