By James B. Ewers Jr. Ed.D.
Many of us watched the MLB game at historic Rickwood Field in Birmingham Alabama between the St. Louis Cardinals and the San Francisco Giants. It was a game celebrating the Negro Leagues and of course, stars like Willie Mays who played at that ballpark and passed away days before the game.
I have a friend who excelled in baseball, but didn’t get the chance to play in the Negro Leagues. He missed it by a few years. If he had, he would have been a star. Here is his story.
Roy Smith started playing baseball in New Orleans at the tender age of 10 years old. His Mom was a Dodgers fan. I suspect that had some influence on him taking up the sport.
Roy said, “When I was growing up, baseball was a popular sport and I took naturally to it. Looking back now, I was just having fun playing the game with my friends.”
Like many star student-athletes, he didn’t realize baseball, America’s pastime, would become an important part of his life. The more Roy Smith played the game, the more he liked it and became quite skilled at it.
Roy played baseball at John McDonogh Sr. High School in New Orleans Louisiana. He played second base and short- stop. Those positions required quick hands and quick feet. He had both.
Over time in high school, he began to pitch. While in high school, he had over 100 strike-outs. By any account, that was a lot of strikeouts. Obviously, he was throwing some “heat.”
His baseball coach in high school was the legendary Wayne Reese. Coach Reese gave young Roy Smith the confidence and the proper instruction to be- come one of Louisiana’s top high school pitchers.
His high school accolades earned him baseball scholar- ships to Grambling State and Southern Universities, both HBCUs in the Bayou State. He chose Southern University in Baton Rouge. Roy Smith pitched consecutive no-hit games as a sophomore in 1977 against Texas Southern University and Grambling State University. This baseball feat will always be in the Louisiana college baseball history books. The Times Picayune news- paper in New Orleans penned a story highlighting Smith’s accomplishments and called Roy Smith, the “No-Hit King.”
This moniker has stayed with Roy Smith to this present day. I was with him recently and a gentleman came by and simply asked, “How are you doing No-Hit King?”
His baseball coach at Southern University was Emory Hines. One of the interesting facts about Coach Hines was that his 1959 team won the NAIA Baseball Championship. It is recorded as the only HBCU to ever win the national championship. The team was led by MLB Hall of Famer, Lou Brock.
Roy Smith had great coaching in college in my opinion. Having a legendary coach gave him the guidance and the encouragement that he needed to have a wonderful college career.
I can only imagine some of the conversations they had about the importance of having goals and dreams. To be able to spend that kind of time with him must have been priceless.
Talking with Roy “No-Hit King” Smith was a great opportunity for me to learn more about baseball at the college level and what it takes to be successful.
Smith said, “Playing baseball at Southern University was a privilege that I will always cherish. I made some lifelong friends while in college and I honor those relationships.” I found Mr. Smith to be modest and humble as he talked about his baseball career. Yet I know that in order to have been a pitcher, you had to be a fierce competitor.
Roy “No-Hit King” Smith graduated from Southern University in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in health and physical education. Many people thought he might be a part of the 1979 base- ball draft.
Instead, he carved out a highly successful career as a teacher and coach in the Orleans Parish School System in New Orleans. In fact, he served as a coach of all the sports within the school system.
Roy Smith made an impact on the lives of people wherever he was. Baseball was a starting point coupled with his strong character and high ideals.
Let’s round the bases for Roy “No-Hit King” Smith as he hit a homerun in the game of life.
Dr. James B. Ewers, Jr. is a longtime educator who hails from Winston Salem, N.C. Ewers is a life member of the NAACP and a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.
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