AUBURN, Ala.—Sonny Smith, the first coach to lead the Auburn men's basketball program to the NCAA Tournament, will be honored with a banner unveiling in Auburn Arena when the Tigers host Oklahoma on Saturday, Jan. 29. The banner ceremony will take place pregame.
"When you look at some of the coaching greats in our profession, Sonny Smith humbly stands amongst them. A combination of a great man and father to his players," Auburn head coach Bruce Pearl said. "A great coach and great teacher. He won big in a time when the SEC was pretty good. Sonny and his staff gave us some of the greatest players to ever play here at Auburn – legends. In his retirement, he has come home and really helped me rebuild this program. Through his work on the Auburn Sports Network, Sonny has described what we are trying to build and has had a great impact on our fanbase."
Smith served as Auburn's head coach from 1978-89, compiling a record of 173-154, guiding the Tigers to five consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances from 1984-88, the most consecutive in school history. He currently works alongside Andy Burcham, providing color commentary for Auburn men's basketball on the Auburn Sports Network, a role he has held since 2012.
In 1984, Smith directed Auburn to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance, led by future Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley. The following season, Smith coached the Tigers to their first-ever SEC Tournament Championship in 1985, winning four games in four days en route to the conference title.
"I can't even explain what it means to me to receive this honor," Smith said. "This is a place where I chose to coach and I wanted to be at Auburn. After I left, I knew I was coming back. To have something like this happen it's overwhelming for me. I am thrilled to death for my family, all the former players that played for me and staff that I coached with. Auburn is a special place and it's a great honor. To have this type of thing happen at a place that you love this much, you can't put into words what it means."
A native of Roan Mountain, Tenn., Smith led Auburn to its first-ever Sweet 16 appearance in 1985 and a year later to its first-ever Elite Eight appearance. Smith was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1988 and was the NABC District Coach of the Year in 1984. The first Auburn coach to have three consecutive 20-win seasons (1984-86), his seven NCAA Tournament wins at Auburn are the most by any coach in program history.
"Before he became Auburn basketball's beloved broadcaster, Sonny Smith led the Tigers' men's program to unprecedented heights, including Auburn's first NCAA Tournament appearance, first Sweet 16, first Elite Eight and first SEC Tournament championship," Director of Athletics Allen Greene said. "Sonny's down-home style belied his fierce competitiveness, a combination that helped build the foundation of Auburn basketball."
Smith's head coaching career spanned 22 seasons and a 339-304 record, including stops at East Tennessee State (1976-78) and Virginia Commonwealth (1989-98).
Smith was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame in 2007 and the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame in 2020.