Smith knew immediately MSU for him
One look was all it took for Dusty Smith.
Smith, who was hired last week as Mississippi State’s new men’s golf head coach, stood at the podium at MSU’s Bryan Building on Tuesday and rang a cowbell for the first time.
“I’ve been wanting to do that for a long time,” Smith said.
It was the culmination of a process that saw Smith shift from an assistant at Vanderbilt to the leader of the Bulldogs.
Smith said joining MSU was a no-brainer when given the opportunity.
“When I found out this job was coming open, I knew from the get-go that I wanted to be a Bulldog,” Smith said. “My first trip to Starkville validated every thought I had about the Starkville community and the Mississippi State family.
“When I interviewed for the position, I knew I wanted to be at Mississippi State for the long haul.”
Mississippi State director of athletics John Cohen afforded Smith that opportunity. Cohen has been no stranger to making impact hires since becoming athletic director last year. His first was head baseball coach Andy Cannizaro, whose team is currently two wins away from the College World Series. Cohen also hired Tom Anagnost, a highly-respected assistant from North Carolina State coming off a Sweet 16 appearance, to be MSU’s head soccer coach.
Now, Cohen has put the men’s golf program in Smith’s hands. He’s confident that decision will turn out to be the right call.
“In Dusty Smith, we feel like we have found our man,” Cohen said. “When Dusty got to Vanderbilt, their golf team was ranked 75th in the country, which is pretty remarkable considering that this year, for a good portion of the year, Vanderbilt golf was ranked number one in the nation. He helped guide Vanderbilt to four-straight NCAA appearances and three straight NCAA match play top-eight appearances. Vanderbilt University is the only team in the SEC that can say that.”
Smith’s Vanderbilt tenure was just the latest stop on what has been a successful career in golf. Smith, a Woodlands, Texas native, played collegiately at Lamar where he earned Ping All-American honors and three All-Southland Conference selections while leading the Cardinals to four straight NCAA Regionals and two NCAA Championship berths.
After graduating from Lamar in 2007, Smith started his coaching career at his alma mater before joining the Vanderbilt staff in 2011. With the Commodores, Smith left a huge impression.
“Coach Smith is a class act who stands for things that are right,” Vanderbilt head coach Scott Limbaugh said. “He has an exceptional eye for seeing talent and player development. I know he will establish a vision for taking the (MSU) program as far as it can go. He also understands our jobs are to help the guys become men that can have a positive influence in life. He, (his wife) Janie and (daughter) Ella will fully embrace this new venture. I know they will have a ton of success and we are so happy for them.”
As exciting as this new adventure is for Smith though, he can’t help but think more thrilling days are ahead.
Smith has big plans for what can happen at MSU, and while he doesn’t mind discussing those plans, he’s ready to put his head down and get to work to reach those goals.
“I have a vision and a dream to build Mississippi State men’s golf into a championship program,” Smith said. “At the end of the day, you don’t talk about championships. You go to work and you wake up every day with a championship mindset and a championship lifestyle.
“With that said, you have to have the right mindset and the right culture to do that, and that’s what I plan on doing.”