The Cowgirl Way: Michele Smith

Fifty-two.

A number that exudes greatness and respect in the Oklahoma State University Cowgirl softball program.

The number belongs to one of the greatest to ever don the Orange and Black, Michele Smith.

So many people know who Michele Smith is, from her Olympic gold medals to seeing her on ESPN college softball broadcasts, but so many don't know how hard she worked and the obstacles she faced to get to where she is now.

Growing up in rural New Jersey, Smith was a part of a hard-working, blue-collar family and it was that type of environment that she craved. When Smith got off the plane in Stillwater, Oklahoma, she found something very similar to home.

"I found that at Oklahoma State University there is no entitlement," Smith said. "If you want something, you work really hard to go grab it and to go get it. Nobody is going to hand you anything."

Little did she know, the summer before her sophomore season at OSU, Smith would face one of the most difficult challenges of her life.

During that summer, Smith fell out of a moving vehicle and as fate would have it, she hit a post with her pitching arm. She was taken into emergency surgery to repair the elbow and with much uncertainty about her future, she arrived back to campus for her sophomore season in a full-arm cast.

She spent many hours and days with the athletic trainers as she worked to regain her range of motion and basically learned how to pitch again. Smith describes the accident and the rehab process as trying, difficult and painful, but she had a great support system and even learned a major lesson that she carries with her in every endeavor.

"Embrace adversity," Smith said. "A lot of people run from adversity or they view it as a downer, and you know, for me going through that really hard time in my life and having a great support system with the trainers, coaches and everyone at Oklahoma State, it helped propel me to be not only a better human being, but also a better ball player and to really be able to assess my life in a different way."

Smith ultimately came back stronger and throwing harder after her injury and cemented her name in Cowgirl softball history.

Once her playing days at OSU came to an end, Smith took a coaching position at the University of Oregon, where she was playing softball for Team USA while finishing her pre-requisite classes with the goal of attending medical school. However, during a trip to China and Japan with Team USA, Smith started getting recruited to play professionally overseas.

After initially saying no, the second year she was offered to play in Japan, Smith decided to take the chance, believing it would be a great experience and an opportunity to earn a little money before going to medical school.

"I went over for that one year, and that one year ended up turning into 16 years," Smith said.

While Smith was in Japan, it was announced that softball would be a full medal sport in the 1996 Olympics, so she stayed in Japan where she could play professionally and with Team USA almost year-round in preparation to make the 1996 Olympic team. As we all know, Smith was a part of the first-ever Olympic softball team, but the story many don't know is the significance of those Olympic Games to Smith from a personal standpoint.

"Ten years from the day earlier, when I had that accident, where the doctors told me I might never pitch again, I was walking into the Golden Park in Atlanta having an opportunity to play in the first-ever Olympic softball game," Smith said. "It's ironic. That's why I always tell people to run toward the adversity and not from it, because you never know how you are going to pop out on the back side of it."

Another lesson Smith took from her time with Team USA was to embrace the learning aspect and be willing to learn from those around you. She wasn't afraid to learn from others, whether in the sport of softball, or from other athletes she met throughout her times in the Olympic Village and around the world.

From her history-making days as a member of the Oklahoma State softball team, to her incredible professional and Olympic softball career, and now to her position with ESPN where she is on the call for the biggest college softball games in the country, Smith has never shied away from the work that is demanded of those who are great.

Another thing Smith has never shied away from? Her love and continued support of the Oklahoma State softball program.

While she is busy these days calling college softball games all throughout the spring, Smith is still proud to be able to continue to stay in touch with Coach Kenny Gajewski, to continue to make a difference, and to be reconnected to the program again.

"I'm a big fan of his [Coach Gajewski's] and the way he has embraced the institution as well as the program," Smith said. "He wasn't going to use it as a stepping stone to go somewhere else. We needed someone who was going to be invested and dig their roots and foundation in Stillwater and want to be there."

As far as the advice she would pass along to the current Cowgirl softball team, Smith's answer might seem familiar.

"Embrace every day," Smith said. "Those four to five years in Stillwater are going to go very quickly. Embrace it, hold onto it, and work really hard. Love it. Love every second while you're there."

Watch the full interview here: Michele Smith Interview

Oklahoma State University Athletics

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