Smokey Gaines

Smokey Gaines
Personal information
Born	February 27, 1940; Detroit, Michigan, U.S.
Died	September 5, 2020 (aged 80); Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
Listed height	6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Listed weight	170 lb (77 kg)
Career information
High school	Northeastern (Detroit, Michigan)
College	LeMoyne–Owen (1959–1963)
NBA draft	1963: undrafted
Position	Shooting guard
Number	32
Career history
As player:
1967	Kentucky Colonels
As coach:
1973–1977	Detroit (assistant)
1977–1979	Detroit
1979–1987	San Diego State
Career highlights and awards
	As player: No. 32 retired by LeMoyne–Owen Magicians; As coach: WAC tournament champion (1985); WAC Coach of the Year (1985);
	Stats at Basketball Reference

David "Smokey" Gaines (February 27, 1940^[a] – September 5, 2020) was an American basketball player and coach.

Playing career

He played professionally for three games for the Kentucky Colonels during the 1967–68 American Basketball Association season after a four-year stint with the Harlem Globetrotters. Gaines attended LeMoyne-Owen College from 1959 to 1963 where he was the first player to have his number retired.^[3]^[4]

After his playing days Gaines became a men's college basketball coach, serving as head coach for the Detroit Mercy and San Diego State Aztecs. He replaced Dick Vitale at the former school, and coached Michael Cage and future Baseball Hall-of-Famer Tony Gwynn at the latter. He compiled a 112–117 record in eight seasons at San Diego State University (SDSU) and became the first black head coach in NCAA Division I in California. He was named the coach of the year of the Western Athletic Conference in 1984–85, when the Aztecs went 24–8 and qualified for the NCAA tournament.^[5] Gaines was named athletic director for the Memphis City Schools in 2008, after coaching and serving as the athletic director at LeMoyne-Owen.^[6]

Gaines died on September 5, 2020, from cancer. He has also contracted COVID-19 in the time leading up to his death.^[7]^[8]

Source^[9]

Year	Team	GP	MPG	FG%	3P%	FT%	RPG	APG	PPG
1967–68	Kentucky	3	12.0	.250	1.000	.500	3.3	.0	3.3

Statistics overview
Season	Team	Overall	Conference	Standing	Postseason
Detroit Titans (Independent) (1977–1979)
1977–78	Detroit	25–4			NIT Quarterfinals
1978–79	Detroit	22–6			NCAA Division I first round
Detroit Mercy:		47–10 (.825)
San Diego State Aztecs (Western Athletic Conference) (1979–1987)
1979–80	San Diego State	6–21	3–11	T–7th
1980–81	San Diego State	15–12	8–8	5th
1981–82	San Diego State	20–9	11–5	2nd	NIT first round
1982–83	San Diego State	18–10	8–8	T–5th
1983–84	San Diego State	15–13	6–10	T–6th
1984–85	San Diego State	23–8	11–5	2nd	NCAA Division I first round
1985–86	San Diego State	10–19	7–9	6th
1986–87	San Diego State	5–25	2–14	T–8th
San Diego State:		112–117 (.489)	56–70 (.444)
Total:		159–127 (.556)
National champion Postseason invitational champion Conference regular season champion Conference regular season and conference tournament champion Division regular season champion Division regular season and conference tournament champion Conference tournament champion

^ Sources conflict on Gaines' birth year. His obituary has 1942^[1] but a post by his family uses 1940.^[2]

^ Crowther, Linnea (September 8, 2020). "David Gaines obituary". Legacy.com. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
^ Zeigler, Mark (September 5, 2020). "Former Aztecs basketball coach Smokey Gaines dies". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
^ Davis, Terry (September 10, 2020). "At every level, David 'Smokey' Gaines made an impact". Tri-State Defender. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
^ "Legends". Harlem Globetrotters. Retrieved October 6, 2020.
^ Zeigler, Mark (September 5, 2020). "Smokey Gaines, first Black Division I basketball coach in California, dies". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 6, 2020.
^ McClure, Jesse F. (July 30, 2008). "New Memphis City Schools A.D. says 'It's all about the kids'". Tri-State Defender. Archived from the original on March 6, 2012.
^ Paul, Tony (5 September 2020). "David 'Smokey' Gaines, Detroit Mercy's first Black coach, Harlem Globetrotter alum, dies at 80". The Detroit News. Retrieved 24 May 2024.
^ McCarty, Andrew (September 5, 2020). "Former College Basketball Coach Has Passed Away". thespun.com. Retrieved September 5, 2020.
^ "Smokey Gaines NBA stats". Basketball Reference. Sports Reference LLC. Retrieved 10 March 2024.