Preston Smith (American football coach)

Preston Smith
Biographical details
Born(1871-05-17)May 17, 1871
Hamilton, New York, U.S.
DiedDecember 16, 1945(1945-12-16) (aged 74)
Cranford, New Jersey, U.S.
Alma materColgate University (1893)
Playing career
1890–1892Colgate
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
1892Colgate
Head coaching record
Overall3–0

Preston Hopkins Smith (May 17, 1871 – December 16, 1945) was an American football player and coach. He was the second head football coach at Colgate University and he held that position for the 1892 season.[1][2] His coaching record at Colgate was 3–0. The 1892 team was the first in Colgate history to go undefeated, with victories over Hamilton, Rochester, and St. John's Academy. Some sources say that the 1892 team was coached by Samuel Colgate, Jr. and not Smith.

Smith attended Colgate and received a Bachelor of Philosophy degree in 1893.[3] He played on the football team from 1890 to 1893, serving as captain in 1891 and 1892 (player-coach in the latter year). He lettered in the sport in 1890, 1891 and 1892.

Smith married Cordelia (Cora) Roberts in 1895. He later moved to Bayonne, New Jersey where he was a school principal.[4] He died in 1945.[5]

  1. ^ "A general catalogue of Colgate university issued in April MCMXIII at Hamilton, New York". [Hamilton, Colgate university. 1913.
  2. ^ Baker, Louis Henry (1945). "Football: Facts and Figures".
  3. ^ "Yearbook". 1941.
  4. ^ "P.72-3. Grand Catalogue of the Phi Kappa Psi Fraternity: February 1, 1910". Archived from the original on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.
  5. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on November 3, 2014. Retrieved November 3, 2014.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)