James R. Smith

Smith was born in 1904 in Oakland, California. He lettered in water polo and swimming at Long Beach Poly High in 1922–24, where he served as Team captain. He was a collegiate letterman in both polo and swimming from 1924 to 1928, at the University of Southern California, where he captained the team in 1927, and captained both swimming and water polo in 1928. He played and coached for the Pacific Coast Club from 1929 to 1931, and also captained the Los Angeles Athletic Club Team during the same years. At USC, he completed a degree in Business in 1928 and a Masters in Education in 1935. In 1956, he coached the U.S. Olympic Team Trials for the armed services. == Coaching ==

From 1931 to 1932, he coached Long Beach City College, then coached Fullerton Jr. College and High School from around 1932–1962, except for his time serving with the Navy in WWII. He coached the silver medal-winning U.S. Water Polo Team at the Pan Am Games in 1955. In 1956, he was assigned to the Air Wing Staff of the Naval Air Station at Los Alamitos, where he served as an Aquatics trainer. By 1957, eight of his former team members had become coaches, with the number eventually reaching over 30. He coached 4 teams that won a total of 164 team championships including five on the national level, six in State championships, and five Amateur Athletic Union championships. From 1965 to 1971, Smith served as Freshman water polo coach and Assistant Varsity swim Coach at Stanford University. Service to swimming community Smith wrote articles for the Associated Press, Swimming World Magazine and Water Polo Scoreboard. He authored several books on aquatic coaching and the mechanics of play. His 1936 book, Playing and Coaching Water Polo, broke ground as one of the earlies texts on the sport, and he later authored "Water Polo in the Olympics". He served as a member of the U.S. Olympic Water Polo Committee from 1948 to 1956, and the National AAU Water Polo Committee from 1948 to 1976. He developed a water polo ball made with an inflatable bladder and a rubber fabric cover, which improved performance, adding spectator interest to the game. Smith died of cancer on September 7, 1986 at his home in Foster City, California. He was survived by his wife Claire, children, step-children, and grandchildren. After memorial services on September 17, his ashes were scattered over San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge. == Honors ==

He was a recipient of the National Colleges Coaches Association Plaque for being a 25-year collegiate coach, and a 40-year award from the College Swimming Coaches of America in 1971. He was a recipient of the Helms Athletic Medal for outstanding achievement in Water Polo. As a highly accomplished collegiate coach, and an officer in U.S. Water Polo organizations, he was inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame in 1992. In 1990, the United States Water Polo Award was established in memory of Jimmie Smith and his contributions to the sport of water polo. The award is given annually to an individual or group, recognizing outstanding contributions to water polo in the United States. The trophy is exhibited at the International Swimming Hall of Fame. ==See also==