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The Gay Blade
Another Sports Death:
Ex-USC coach Smith succumbs to leukemia
Associated Press
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
Larry Smith, the coach who led USC to the Rose Bowl three times and won 143 games with Tulane, Arizona, USC and Missouri, died Monday after a long bout with chronic lymphatic leukemia. He was 68.
Smith died in a Tucson hospital, the University of Arizona confirmed.
His 24-year head-coaching career began at Tulane, included seven years at Arizona and ended in 2000 at Missouri. Smith was 143-126-7 and his teams were 3-6-1 in bowl games.
Smith coached USC for six years, finishing 44-25-3. He was fired on New Year's Day of 1993, his departure hastened by a 24-7 loss to unranked Fresno State in the Freedom Bowl.
Smith started his tenure at USC in 1987 and took the Trojans the Rose Bowl in each of his first three seasons. The Trojans lost their first two Rose Bowls under Smith, before beating Michigan and his mentor, Bo Schembechler, in Schembechler's final game as the Wolverines' coach, after the 1989 season.
Smith worked under Schembechler for six years at Miami of Ohio and Michigan
Winning breeds confidence. Losing breeds reality.
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