Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame
- Induction:
- 1987
Ozzie Smith, known throughout baseball as "The Wizard" for being arguably the best fielding shortstop of all time, redefined the position in his nearly two decades of work at one of the game's most demanding positions.
He enjoyed a brilliant college career at Cal Poly. He was a four-year starter and All-American athlete. Ozzie currently holds school records for career stolen bases (110), stolen bases in a season (44) and career at bats (754). He took over as shortstop midway through his freshman season in 1974.
After his junior year at Cal Poly, the Detroit Tigers selected Ozzie in the seventh round of the 1976 free-agent draft; he did not sign and returned for his senior year. Ozzie twice earned All-California Collegiate Athletic Association first-team honors.
In 1977, after leading Cal Poly to a school-record 41 victories and a berth in the NCAA Division II playoffs, Ozzie was drafted by the San Diego Padres. After four years with the Padres, Ozzie spent 15 seasons with the St. Louis Cardinals.
During his 19-year Major League career, he was a 15-time All-Star and won 13 consecutive Gold Gloves. He holds the National League record for the number of times he was the fielding percentage leader (7). In 1996 the Cardinals retired his No. 1 jersey.
In 2002 he was the sole inductee into the Major League Baseball Hall of Fame in his first year of eligibility. He won the NL Silver Slugger Award as the best-hitting shortstop in 1987 and was also elected to the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 2014.
Ozzie Smith Plaza at the Cal Poly Sports Complex was named in his honor in 2003.
Born in Mobile, Alabama, Smith attended Locke High School in Los Angeles. Smith served as host of the television show This Week in Baseball from 1997 to 1998. Smith also became color commentator for the local broadcast of Cardinals games on KPLR-TV from 1997 to 1999. Smith worked for CNN-SI beginning in 1999 and became active with the Cardinals again, starting with his stint as a special instructor for the team's 2012 spring training camp.
Smith has also been an entrepreneur in a variety of business ventures. Smith opened "Ozzie's" restaurant and sports bar in 1988, started a youth sports academy in 1990, became an investor in a grocery store chain in 1999, and partnered with David Slay to open a restaurant in the early 2000s. Of those businesses, the youth academy remains in operation, with the restaurant having closed in 2010 after changing ownership and locations once. Smith authored a children's book in 2006 and launched his own brand of salad dressing in 2008.
Besides the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Cal Poly Athletics Hall of Fame, Smith has been also inducted or honored in other halls of fame and recognitions. In 1999, he ranked No. 87 on The Sporting News' list of the 100 Greatest Baseball Players, and finished third in voting at shortstop for the Major League Baseball All-Century Team. He was honored with induction into the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, Alabama Sports Hall of Fame and the St. Louis Walk of Fame, and received an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Cal Poly in 2002. In January 2014, the Cardinals announced Smith among 22 former players and personnel to be inducted into the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame Museum for the inaugural class of 2014.
With his former wife Denise, Ozzie had three children. He lives in St. Louis.
