| Danny Smith |
Full Name: John Daniel Smith
Born: May 15, 1952, Alice Town, Bahamas
Died: February 14, 1983, Bahama Islands
Olympics:
1972 - at Munich, Germany representing Bahamas in Track & Field
1976 - at Montreal, Canada representing Bahamas in Track & Field
Legacy Bricks: Legacy Walk Map Link
1981 Track & Field HOF - Loc 2
1973, 74, 75 Track & Field AA - Loc 24
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| Click On Photo To Enlarge |
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| FSU Career |
| Track & Field | |
Year Pos Hgt Wgt Cl Ltr Hometown 72-73 H-S-R 6-2 170 Jr * Miami 73-74 H-S-R 6-2 170 Sr * Miami 74-75 H-S-R 6-2 170 Sr-R * Miami |
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| All-American Awards |
| Track & Field |
Year Award
1973 NCAA Championships - 60-Yard High Hurdles (2nd) - Indoor
1974 NCAA Championships - 60-Yard High Hurdles (1st) - Indoor
NCAA Championships - 120-Yard High Hurdles (3rd) - Outdoor
1975 NCAA Championships - 60-Yard High Hurdles (1st) - Indoor
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| Member of the FSU Hall of Fame |
| Elected into the FSU Hall of Fame in 1981 |
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World record holder, NCAA record holder and NCAA champion, Danny Smith, the brilliant hurdler from the Bahamas rewrote the Florida State record book. Wearing garnet and gold from 1973 to 1975, Smith
became one of the world's greatest indoor hurdlers. In '75 he became the first person to win the NCAA indoor 60-Yard Hurdles two years in a row. In 1973 he tied or set the world record in the 50-Yard
Hurdles at 5.8 seconds. In '74 and '75 he either tied or set NCAA marks in both the 60 and 70-Yard Hurdles. When Danny left FSU his name was in the university's record book seven times. Smith was a
three year All-American. After graduation he stayed in Tallahassee to help coach Seminole hurdlers and sprinters. There was no more beautiful sight in athletics than Danny Smith sailing over the
hurdles, out in the garnet and gold. From the Tallahassee Democrat, February 15, 1983, page 8. Ex-FSU star Smith missing. Danny Smith, one of Florida State's top track performers of all time, is missing after an airplane he was in developed trouble near the Bahama Islands Friday. FSU track coach Dick Roberts said a report was given to him by Danny's mother, Mirian Smith, from Miami. "His mother told me that he was traveling in a light plane when they developed trouble over the island of Bimini," said Roberts. "The plane radioed that it was going down. "They have spotted the wreckage of a place in a swampy area, she said, but there has been no word at all on survivors. "Someone is supposed to go to that area where the wreck is today and try to find out. It does not look good." A late check by the Miami Herald with the Federal Aviation Administration disclosed that the plane was listed as "overdue and missing" but the FAA had no report of a crash. An FAA spokesman said Smith had taken over with one other person on Friday morning at 8 in a Piper 32 for a scheduled half-hour flight to More's Island. The spokesman said a Bahamas Search and Rescue Team was looking for the plane. Born in the Bahamas, Smith came to Florida State in 1972 after winning the national junior-college championship in the 110-meter high hurdles for Miami-Dade Junior College. He had also competed in the Olympics for the Bahamas. He ran the hurdles, the relay and the 100 meters at Florida State, earning All-America acclaim each year as a Seminole. Smith was the first to win the NCAA high hurdles two consecutive years. He was also co-holder of a world record in the 50 high hurdles, as well as co-holder of national collegiate records in the 60 and 70 high hurdles. Smith was inducted last spring into Florida State's Athletic Hall of Fame. From the Tallahassee Democrat, February 16, 1983, page 8, other edition. Plane found; Smith may be safe on Bimini. The plane in which former Florida State track star Danny Smith was a passenger was discovered Tuesday evening, but neither Smith nor any of the other passengers was found with the wreckage and they were believed to be safe. The plane was found just before nightfall, upside-down very near the coast of Bimini, part of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, in 12 feet of water, according to reports received by the Miami Herald. "There was a sighting of the plane thought to be the one (Smith) was aboard," said Lt. Neal Armstrong of the U.S. Coast Guard. "Bimini police told us that the passengers were off the plane and believed to be somewhere on Bimini." As of late Tuesday, Smith had not contacted any members of his family, who live in Bimini and are expected to begin a search for him today. According to FSU track coach Dick Roberts, who spoke with Smith's family, pieces of the place had washed up on the shore of Bimini. "They told me that because of the open cockpit, because of the missing life raft and because there seemed to be little in the way of damage, such as blood, inside the plane, that they were very encouraged," said Roberts. Smith, a member of the Bahamian Olympic team in 1972 and 1976, was a four-time All-American at FSU and was the national champion in the 110-meter high hurdles in 1975 and 1975. Roberts said he was told that Smith, who had been living in Fort Lauderdale and who has held several jobs since graduating from FSU in 1976, recently had become involved in Bahamian politics and was on a "political mission," at the time of the plane's disappearance. Editors Note: Smith's body was never found.
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| FSU Statistics |
| Track & Field |
Date Opponent/Meet Event Place Results Points Comment
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1973 Season
01/10/1973 Senior Bowl Championship 50-Yard Dash (I) 1 5.4 5
01/10/1973 Senior Bowl Championship 50-Yard Dash (I) 1 6.3 5
01/20/1973 US Federation So Indoor 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.1 5
01/25/1973 Ohio State 60-Yard Dash (I) 1 6.2 5
01/25/1973 Ohio State 70-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 8.4 5
02/04/1973 Maple Leaf Games 50-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 5.8 5 Tied World Record
02/09/1973 USTFF Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.1 5
02/24/1973 Ohio State Invitational 70-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 8.1 5
03/10/1973 NCAA Indoor Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 2 7.0 4
03/17/1973 Five-Way Meet 440-Yard Relay 3 0.75
03/17/1973 Five-Way Meet 100-Yard Dash 3 9.85 3
03/17/1973 Five-Way Meet 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.0 5
03/24/1973 Kiwanis Invitational 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.2 5
03/30/1973 Florida Relays Sprint Medley Relay 2 3:19.4 0.75
03/30/1973 Florida Relays 120-Yard High Hurdles 2 13.6 3
04/14/1973 South Carolina 440-Yard Relay 2 42.1 0.75
04/14/1973 South Carolina 100-Yard Dash 1 9.7 5
04/14/1973 South Carolina 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.0 5
04/14/1973 South Carolina 220-Yard Dash 2 22.2 3
04/28/1973 Drake Relays 120-Yard High Hurdles 3 14.0 3
05/05/1973 Florida 100-Yard Dash 1 9.6 5
05/05/1973 Florida 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.1 5
05/05/1973 Florida 220-Yard Dash 2 3
05/19/1973 SE Independent Championship 100-Yard Dash 2 4
05/19/1973 SE Independent Championship 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.2 5
06/09/1973 NCAA Outdoor Championship 120-Yard High Hurdles 13.5 Prelim-fell in semis
06/09/1973 NCAA Outdoor Championship 110 Meter Hurdles 13.64c
1974 Season
01/16/1974 Senior Bowl Championship 50-Yard Dash (I) 2 4
01/16/1974 Senior Bowl Championship 50-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 6.1 5
01/19/1974 SE USTFF Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 6.9 5
02/02/1974 Indiana Relays 70-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 8.1 5
02/08/1974 Montgomery Relays 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.1 5
02/15/1974 Maple Leaf Games 50-Yard High Hurdles (I) 2 6.0 3
03/09/1974 NCAA Indoor Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.0 6
03/09/1974 NCAA Indoor Championship 60 Meter Hurdles (I) 7.74c
03/23/1974 FSU Invitational 100-Yard Dash 1 9.7 5
03/23/1974 FSU Invitational 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.5 5
03/23/1974 FSU Invitational 440-Yard Relay 1 41.1 1.25
03/30/1974 Florida Relays 440-Yard Relay 1 40.6 1.25
03/30/1974 Florida Relays Sprint Medley Relay 1 3:22.2 1.25
03/30/1974 Florida Relays 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.8 5
04/13/1974 Mississippi State 100-Yard Dash 2 9.5 3
04/13/1974 Mississippi State 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 14.2 5
04/13/1974 Mississippi State 220-Yard Dash 3 21.9 1
04/20/1974 South Carolina 100-Yard Dash 1 9.6 5
04/20/1974 South Carolina 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.8 5
04/20/1974 South Carolina 440-Yard Relay 1 40.7 1.25
04/27/1974 Drake Relays 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.4 5
05/04/1974 Florida 100-Yard Dash 3 9.8 1
05/04/1974 Florida 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.9 5
05/11/1974 Louisiana State 100-Yard Dash 2 9.6 3
05/11/1974 Louisiana State 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.4 5
05/11/1974 Louisiana State 440-Yard Relay 1 40.9 1.25
05/18/1974 SE Independent Championship 120-Yard High Hurdles 1 13.8 5
06/08/1974 NCAA Outdoor Championship 120-Yard High Hurdles 3 13.62w 6
1975 Season
01/19/1975 USTFF Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles 2 7.0 4 prelims
02/01/1975 Penn State 60-Yard Dash (I) 4 2
02/01/1975 Penn State 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 8.1 5
02/08/1975 Mason-Dixon Games 70-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 8.0 5
02/14/1975 Mapleleaf Games 50-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 5.8 5
02/15/1975 Knights of Columbus 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 6.9 5
02/22/1975 Louisiana State 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.0 5
02/22/1975 Louisiana State 60-Yard Dash (I) 3 1
03/08/1975 LSU All-Comers 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 2 4
03/15/1975 NCAA Indoor Championship 60-Yard High Hurdles (I) 1 7.0 6
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