Smith has been at the helm of SHU athletics since 1983 and oversees a department of 27 coaches and staff. It is the second time Smith has won the award; the first was for the 2000-01 academic year.

This past year, Smith guided a massive fundraising effort to improve campus athletic facilities. Improvements included a complete renovation of existing locker rooms, improved drainage for softball dugouts, new storage cages in the field house and a new ice machine for the athletic training room. In addition to these improvements, Smith also oversaw fundraising for the school's annual Hall of Fame banquet.

Along with facility improvements, branding has been a major focus for Smith this year. With the renovation of the locker rooms, Smith added strategically placed logos and signage. He also gave approval for a new athletics Web site to better represent the programs. Many of the upgrades completed included new seating and painting that brands SHU as an elite program.

Smith introduced two new sports and full-time coaches for each sport. Men's volleyball and men's lacrosse participated as club teams before becoming full varsity programs in fall of 2009. Smith encourages his staff to be involved with their sports. Four Saint coaches currently serve as officers on their respective coaches association boards while two serve as national raters. Three of Smith's head coaches were selected to serve on national championship committees this past year.

Smith has always put high expectations on student-athletes. Nearly 41 percent of SHU's student population comprised the school's 16 intercollegiate sports teams. The 2008-09 academic year saw 31 Saint student-athletes recognized as WHAC All-Academic and 19 were named Daktronics-NAIA All-America Scholar-Athletes. Six individuals were awarded All-American status and three teams were honored as NAIA Scholar Teams.

At the national level, Smith is an active member of National Association of College Athletic Directors (NACDA) and NAIA-Athletic Directors Association. He serves on the national oversight committee for men's basketball. Regionally, he was an integral part of the selection committee for a new WHAC commissioner. Smith has also served on SHU's Planning Team and Presidential Search Committee.

Smith was inducted into the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2006 as a coach for men's basketball. He was named WHAC Coach of the Year on four occasions and garnered District Coach of the Year honors three times. Because of his generous nature and ability to lead, Siena Heights originated a Fred Smith Champion Award in 2004 to honor an SHU employee who has a friendly and caring attitude, the ability to shoulder responsibility and achieve success.