Todd Smith came to the University of St. Thomas in June of 2008, when he accepted the position of Athletic Director and head men’s basketball coach. In his 13 years at UST, the Celts’ athletic department has grown from two varsity sports (volleyball and men’s soccer) to 15, all while making a successful transition from NAIA to NCAA Division III. After spending 18 years as an assistant basketball coach at Rice University, Smith was ready for a new challenge. Consequently, when St. Thomas offered the chance to revive the athletic department, he immediately accepted the opportunity.

The first decade of Smith’s tenure with UST athletics has been challenging and successful! The department has more than doubled in number of sports, number of student athletes, annual budget and number of staff members. They have also achieved athletic success with ten conference championships and ten NAIA National Tournament appearances, while producing multiple All-Americans and academic All-Americans. Most importantly, Celt athletics has been able to accomplish this without compromising academics or integrity. The student athlete grade point average has consistently remained over 3.0, and the department has earned the RRAC Sportsmanship Award for five consecutive years.

 During his six years (2009–10 to 2014–15) as the head men’s basketball coach, Smith left quite an imprint on the UST basketball program, at the RRAC and at the NAIA national level. On the hardwood, the Celts improved each of their first four seasons, culminating when the team finished best in the program, 28–6, and in the Top 25 national ranking. The 2012–13 season was memorable, as St. Thomas finished 2nd in the Red River Athletic Conference regular season and then won the RRAC post-season tourney when the team defeated RRAC regular season champion SAGU 67–51 on its home floor. The basketball campaign came to an abrupt end when UST lost in the opening round of the National Tournament, to eventual national champions Georgetown College, 70–68. Smith’s career record was 101–77 (57%) when he stepped down and turned the program over to former UST men’s basketball standout and alum Anthony Medina.

After a four-year playing career at Valparaiso University, Smith immediately began his coaching career as a graduate assistant at Rice University. He currently still stands 6^th on the Career Assists list at Valparaiso University. Coach Smith and his wife Ketti live in Pearland, Texas, and have four children: Turner, 29; Tate, 25; Jace, 22; and Sadie, 20.