Takedown Report

Longtime UNCP wrestling coach P.J. Smith dies

PEMBROKE — After an extraordinary life with an impact stretching far beyond The University of North Carolina at Pembroke wrestling program that he led for a quarter-century, P.J. Smith died Monday. He was 76. A member of the NCAA Wrestling, North Carolina Wrestling and UNCP Athletics halls of fame, Smith served as UNCP’s head wrestling coach from 1982 to 2006. “UNCP wrestling, UNC Pembroke, Robeson County, North Carolina, the wrestling community nationally — we lost a good one today, man,” said current UNCP wrestling coach O.T. Johnson, who has known Smith for about 25 years. “I’m not going to lie — this one hits different.”
Smith held a 255-150-3 record with the Braves, coached 33 All-Americans and 13 academic All-Americans, and led his team to two top-10 finishes at the NCAA Division-II national tournament — though much of what he accomplished while coaching the Braves can’t be measured with statistics. “His attention to detail, his ability to motivate (made him a good coach),” said Justin Winans, who wrestled for Smith from 1996-99 and is now UNCP’s director of campus recreation. “He made you focus on the little things, and it was more about — I know it’s a cliche, but it’s more about the journey than the conclusion or the destination. He helped develop men, not just wrestlers.”
Smith was known for giving opportunities to wrestlers from less-advantaged backgrounds, even going so far as to open his home for those within the UNCP Athletics community who needed a place to stay. “He never looked down on anyone, especially people that were not in good situations,” Winans said. “He was an advocate for reaching your hand out and making sure that the least of us was pulled along for the ride.” “For him, it was about taking care of people,” Johnson said. “He was a servant leader, and that showed in every action he had, everything he did. Even in retirement he was involved in making sure kids that don’t have could get.”
Johnson, who became an assistant coach for the Braves at the same time that Smith retired in 2006 and has been head coach since 2011, said Smith would call after the college season each year to ask if any Braves wrestlers had old wrestling shoes that Smith could use to give to underprivileged children, allowing them to have the equipment to become involved in the sport.
Smith also taught countless local children how to swim through the UNCP swimming school, which he ran in the summer months, hiring individuals from within the wrestling program to work the camps, and helped numerous people become certified as lifeguards. “Being a part of it, working the swim school and taking my daughter through the swim school with Coach Smith is something I’ll never forget,” Johnson said. “The guy did it his way, in all facets.”
He was also involved in the American Red Cross, and did much work behind the scenes to encourage the establishment of wrestling programs at local high schools and even other colleges. “Those are all things that I’m not sure a lot of people are aware of that he did,” former UNCP athletic director Dan Kenney said. “I think that what I would say about P.J. is he obviously is a Hall of Fame member of our athletic family, but I think P.J. did so much more behind the scenes, beyond even wrestling.”
But while Smith’s impact extended far beyond the mat, what he’ll be most remembered for is his role coaching the Braves and his overall dedication to the sport. … rest of story at … Robesonian.com/sports/Longtime-uncp-wrestling-coach-p-j-smith-dies

November 9, 2023 - Posted by The TakeDown Report | Uncategorized