Sonny Smith (born November 15, 1936) is a retired men's college basketball head coach. Originally from Roan Mountain, Tennessee, Smith served as a head coach for twenty-two seasons. He is credited with turning around losing programs at East Tennessee State University, Auburn University, and Virginia Commonwealth University.
Smith is best remembered for his coaching years at Auburn University, where he was named Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year in 1984 and 1989. In 1985, he coached the Auburn Tigers to their first SEC Tournament Championship in school history. ashof.org, blank">Alabama Sports Hall of Fame, retrieved, April 4, 2007. During his years at Auburn, he coached _NBA Hall of Fame player, Charles Barkley and was the only coach in school history to have three consecutive winning seasons, from 1984-86. On January 3, 2007, he was inducted into the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame.
After retiring from coaching, Smith joined his friend and former University of Alabama coach Wimp Sanderson on a sports talk radio show "The Sonny and Wimp Show" on WJOX-AM in Birmingham, Alabama.
