Bob Smith enters his eighth season as an assistant wrestling coach at Rhode Island College. Smith assists in administering practices, meet coaching and with recruiting. He returned to the program in 2007-08 after previously coaching with the Anchormen from 2000-05.

 RIC Head Coach Jay Jones says, “I am thrilled to have an experienced, veteran coach, like Coach Smith, with our program. He brings a wealth of knowledge and a winning tradition with him to the mat. Having a second assistant coach helps our program tremendously, especially since it’s Coach Smith.”

Smith is a legend in the high school wrestling ranks. He was an assistant and head coach at Coventry (RI) High School for 31 years from 1968 through 1999. He served two stints as CHS’s head wrestling coach, from 1972-76 and again from 1991-98. Under his tutelage, Coventry High School won an unprecedented 17 consecutive Rhode Island State Championships from 1982 through 1998, an unequalled nation-wide record.

In 1998-99 he was named the National High School Wrestling Coach of the Year, which was awarded prior to the NCAA Division I National Championships at Penn State. The Rhode Island Wrestling Coaching Association also named him the Coach of the Decade, along with fellow Coventry wrestling coach Dick Magarian. Coventry High School wrestling was named Team of the Decade in the 1990s by USA Wrestling and the National High School Wrestling Coaches Association.

Smith retired after over 31 years as a math teacher at Coventry High School. He is a 1968 graduate of the University of Rhode Island, earning a bachelor's degree in physical education/math.