Chapter 6: Athletics
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In his first four years as head football coach (2008-2012), Jim Collins led the Cardinals to a 35-20 record with two post-season playoff appearances.
Playing for National Championships
Generally SVSU varsity athletic programs have enjoyed success since 2007. The men’s and women’s basketball teams, for instance, have become competitive in the GLIAC. Prior to the 2007-2008 season, the university hired Frankie Smith, formerly a successful high school coach in West Virginia and assistant coach at Miami University of Ohio, to take the reins of the men’s basketball team. After two losing seasons, Smith led the team in 2009-2010 to its first winning campaign (16-12 overall) in seven years. The season also marked the first winning season in the GLIAC (13-9 in the conference) since the 19971998 season. The GLIAC named Smith its 2010 “Coach of the Year” and guard Chris Webb was named “Freshman of the Year.”13 Webb would go on to a stellar career, being named first team all-GLIAC following his senior season (2012-13), while Smith left SVSU after the 2011-2012 season to return home to West Virginia and be closer to his family, and the university hired Randy Baruth as his replacement. Since the winning season of 2009-2010 the men’s team generally lost more games than it won, but its performance within the conference had improved when compared with the previous decade. The women’s team, by contrast, struggled. Head coach Vonnie Kilmer left in 2008 after compiling a record of 35-72 over four seasons. Three coaches, Shannon Baugh, Joe Zinni and Jamie Pewinski, led the team during the four seasons from 2008 through 2012, guiding it to an overall 24-82 record and only 16 wins within the conference. The team began a turn-
