According to a report from The Columbus Dispatch, former Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith is working with the Maryland athletic department as a consultant.
Smith is helping out Jim Smith, the associate athletic director for marketing and communications with Ohio State from 1995-2000, who started as the Terrapins athletic director last week.
“You have to have something to keep you mentally active,” Smith told the Dispatch, “and the consulting and board work keeps me mentally active. Obviously, I’m not working 80-plus hours a week.”
Jim Smith worked with Gene Smith at Ohio State from 2016-2020 when he led the Buckeyes’ alumni association, but much of his professional experience has been in professional sports, most recently as an executive for the Atlanta Braves.
The two plan on having bimonthly Zoom calls along with other calls if Jim Smith is seeking guidance from Gene, since he was an athletic director for nearly 40 years at the NCAA level. The role is expected to last for about six months.
