NORFOLK, Va. – Old Dominion University Athletics has announced the addition of Lubbock Smith III as the Director of Student-Athlete Development and Leadership Programs/Academic Advisor.
“We are really excited to get Lubbock here to engage our student-athletes, coaches and staff. His experiences as a former student-athlete, eagerness to see others grow holistically and desire to make a positive impact on those he encounters will be a great addition to our staff and allow us to build upon the tremendous student-athlete development programming that has been established over the past four years,” ODU Senior Associate Athletic Director for Compliance, & Student-Athlete Welfare Randale Richmond said.
Smith comes to ODU after spending a year and a half at the University of Southern California (USC) as an Athletic Academic Advisor. Smith oversaw women’s basketball and men’s and women’s tennis. He also serves as a member of the Personal Development committee and is an instructor for the PHED 165 Freshmen Seminar course for Football.
Prior to joining USC, he spent nine years at the University of Kansas (KU), of which his last four years there he was an Academic Advisor for football and a Leadership Coordinator for KU LEADS (Student-Athlete Development). He is the co-founder/co-creator of the R.I.S.E program at Kansas Athletics, a program that cultivates a safe and supportive environment for minority student-athletes that nurtures personal, academic, and social growth while encompassing the fundamental values of Kansas Athletics. He also served as a mentor to student-athletes. During his time at KU, he served several positions throughout the athletics department: tickets and sales, fundraising/development, marketing, and student-athlete development. In addition, he was a KU Football Summer Career Development coordinator and was heavily involved with helping student-athletes holistically develop.
Born and raised in Dallas (Oak Cliff), Texas, Smith graduated from Kansas in 2012 with a bachelor's degree in Sociology and in 2017 with a master's degree in Higher Education Administration. He was a four-year starter for the Kansas Jayhawks football team.