Hall of Fame
William “Bucky” Smith, Jr., entered Morgan State University in 1976 from Mt. Vernon High School (New York), where he earned rankings as the No. 2 freestyle and No. 4 Greco style wrestler in the country at the 150-pound level. He received his Bachelor of Science degree from the University in 1980. Mr. Smith wasted no time making his contributions to the Bears’ wrestling program once he arrived on campus.
Arguably the most distinguished wrestler in Morgan State history, Mr. Smith was a national standout in the NCAA Division-II 158-pound weight class. He began his collegiate career with a second-place finish in the 1977 and 1978 NCAA Division-II national championships, and earned a fifth-place finish in the 1979 NCAA Division-II national championships during his junior season. Mr. Smith bounced back during his 1980 senior season and became the first wrestler from a Historically Black College or University to win the NCAA Division-II 158-pound championship. Taking advantage of a provision that automatically qualified the Division-II finalists for the Division-I tournament, Mr. Smith entered the tournament as the fifth seed and defeated the top-seed (Dave Zilverberg, University of Minnesota) 9-9, 2-1 in an overtime decision in the semi-finals to earn a spot in the Division-I championship match. He carried an impressive 44-1 record into the match, but ultimately lost to Ricky Stewart (Oklahoma State).
Mr. Smith finished his Morgan State career as a four-time Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference (MEAC) champion, four-time East Regional champion, and four-time Division-II All-American Selection (1977, 1978, 1979, and 1980). He was also a two-time Division-I All-American selection (1978, 1980). Mr. Smith is one of only two Morgan wrestlers to be named a Division-II All-American four times and the only Morgan wrestler to hold a national championship. He also finished his collegiate career as an alternate for the boycotted 1980 Moscow Olympics. In recognition of his outstanding athletic accomplishments, Mr. Smith became the first Morgan State wrestler and the seventh Morganite inducted into the MEAC Hall of Fame in 1999. He was also inducted into the New York Section One Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2008.
