Friends and family members of alumnus Steven Smith took to the Internet this week, posting their stories and memories of the 24-year-old who died in a three-car accident Monday night.
Smith – a 2008 graduate and former sports broadcaster for WRGW Radio – was killed in New York Monday, when his car slid off an icy road, according to the New Jersey Star Ledger. Smith got out of his car to check his vehicle and was hit by another car that skid off the highway. He was taken to a hospital where he later died.
Following his death, Smith’s friends, former WRGW colleagues and Twitter followers wrote blog posts about his life, hosted radio shows about Smith’s love for sports, posted memories on Smith’s Facebook wall, and tweeted about the man they said was destined to do great things with his life.
Senior Ben Toder traveled with Smith to broadcast Colonials basketball games, and said Smith’s love for GW sports and sports broadcasting made him a staple at WRGW.
“He absolutely loved sports and GW basketball,” Toder said. “It’s remarkable how enthusiastic he was.”
Senior Max Feinblatt also worked with Smith, and said Smith’s love for sports and Colonials basketball was unmistakable.
“In my tenure at GW the basketball team has not been very good, and his passion was there regardless,” Feinblatt said. “Not just for the team, but for the station to get more broadcast time and to bring people out to the games, trying to get a good crowd. He couldn’t have been more into GW sports.”
David Earl, an alumnus who now does marketing for the GW Athletic Department, said Smith was a sports fanatic headed for a successful career in sports broadcasting.
“He was passionate in sports, in relationships and he was never afraid to throw himself out there,” Earl said. “I have little doubt that with his willingness to say something controversial and unpopular and his impeccable knowledge of the history, statistics and intangibles to back it up, he would have one day been a sports journalist or entertainer (or, both) that everyone loved to hate, but had to respect.”
Others took to Twitter to profess their sadness of the loss of @Stevensmithy – Smith’s Twitter account boasting 600 followers – all eager to read his posts about Smith’s favorite sports team, the Yankees, and other recent sports news. The Albany Times-Union published a story about the news of Smith’s death rippling through the Twitter-sphere, as fellow Yankees fans mourned the loss of a passionate and knowledgeable fan.
Friends are looking to establish a fund in Smith’s name to further sports broadcasting at the University.
