Marty Smith ’98

Marty Smith ’98

Growing up in Giles County, Marty Smith ’98 knew from a young age what he was going to do with his life. “I always knew I would play baseball,” says Smith.

“Then I got cut.”

Smith, now a reporter for ESPN and host of “SportsCenter Presents: Marty Smith's America,” transferred to Radford University after his first year at Carson-Newman College, believing he had a good chance to make the Highlanders baseball team as a walk-on. He did not.

“I wasn’t good enough,” explains Smith. “After that, I didn’t know what to do with myself. I pouted, acted like a bum for a few weeks. Then I realized I needed to get off of my butt and figure out what I wanted to do with my life.”

A friend recommended that Smith work at the sports information office at Radford, where he would work with former Sports Information Director Mike Ashley ’83. “I lost the ability to compete on the field,” explains Smith. “So I simply transferred that passion from the playing field into my job.”

That passion would eventually lead to freelance work with The Roanoke Times, where he would cover local high school sports. Once the high school seasons ended, Smith was asked to cover stock car races at the then-New River Valley Speedway outside of Fairlawn.

“To be honest, I didn’t want to do it at first,” he explains. “I didn’t know anything about racing.

“Two laps into the race, I knew this was what I wanted to do with my life.”

Upon graduating from Radford, Smith went on to work at the Lynchburg News and Advance, where he covered Liberty University and NASCAR. “I did a story on [former President of NASCAR Media Group] Paul Brooks while I was in Lynchburg,” he says “After the story ran, I called Brooks and offered to do anything – I offered to scrub toilets – in order to work for him.”

The offer worked, as Smith moved to Charlotte, North Carolina, where he would write for NASCAR.com, as well as make some television appearances on Fox Sports and the now-defunct Speed Channel. No word on whether or not he had to scrub any toilets.

A few years later, the fateful call from ESPN came and the rest is Highlander history.

“I thank God every day,” Smith says. “I often ponder how it is that I got here.”

He continues, “There are people more talented than me, and darn sure better looking than me. But no one is more passionate.”

While much of Smith’s passion comes naturally – he has been described as a “human energy drink” – some of that enthusiasm for his work can be traced back to his time at Radford University.  

“Sophomore year – first year at Radford – I took a public relations course from 6:30-9:30 p.m.,” Smith explains. “It was a big class, 60 or 70 students. Some guy walks in looking like Al from the television show ‘Home Improvement.’ It was the professor of the class, Roland Lazenby.

“He started asking everyone in the class what it was they wanted to do in their life. After every answer, he would reply, ‘You can do it!’ Everyone had these wild answers, but he kept saying ‘You can do it!’ When he got to me, I said that I wanted to write for ‘Sports Illustrated.’ When he told me I could do it, I couldn’t rebut him. He was standing right there in front of me. I was so impressed by that.”

Smith continues, “I’m just this kid from Pearisburg. From that class I learned that it’s okay to have these big dreams. They are not trite, no matter who you are or where you are from.”

Smith recently signed a new, multiyear contract to stay at ESPN. He will continue to serve as a reporter for “SportsCenter” and “College GameDay,” where he will cover college football, among other sports. He will continue hosting his monthly interview show “SportsCenter Presents: Marty Smith's America” on ESPN2. He will also continue to co-host a Saturday morning ESPN Radio show, “Marty and McGee.”

“I worked my butt off,” Smith says of his career. “It takes a lot of work and a lot of people that need to believe in you in order to make it. But above all of that, you damn sure need to believe in yourself.”

He continues, “I’m fortunate to have gone to Radford University. It gave me humility, direction, friendship, fellowship.

“Although, the best thing that came out of my time at Radford University was that I met my wife, Lainie, there.”