Andy Smith, a 1989 graduate of Canisius University, serves as the school's assistant athletic director for sports medicine. Smith returned to Canisius in August 1996 after spending six years as an assistant athletic trainer at the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He also spent one year as a graduate assistant athletic trainer at the University of Illinois, where he received a master's degree in kinesiology and athletic training in 1990.
As the assistant athletic director for sports medicine at Canisius, Smith oversees coverage for all 20 Canisius athletic teams, working directly with the men's basketball and golf programs, as the University's club sports programs as well. He also administers and oversees the student-athlete accident insurance, as well as the NCAA and Canisius University drug testing programs. The Western New York native also serves as an adjunct professor for Athletic Training Education Program. His certifications include BOC Certification, Clinical Instructor Educator and Emergency Care Safety Institute Instructor of CPR, First Aid and AED.
Smith has offered a variety of regional and national presentations on several topics in sports medicine. He has also been involved with the United States Olympic Committee Sports Medicine Team and was a volunteer athletic trainer at the United States Olympic Training Center in Lake Placid, N.Y. He worked the 1999 Summer World University Games in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and coordinated athletic training services at the 2004, 2007, 2014, 2017 and 2022 NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Championship First and Second Rounds at KeyBank Center in downtown Buffalo.
Smith has served in numerous capacities within the New York State Athletic Trainers Association (NYSATA), including Awards Chair, Treasurer, Regional Representative, Webmaster and President, where he represented nearly 1,300 certified and student athletic trainers statewide. He was honored by the NYSATA with the Thomas J. Sheehan Sr., Award for outstanding service to the profession and was elected into the NYSATA Hall of Fame in 2014. He served as a member of the NATA's Inter-Association Task Force on "Recommended Guidelines on How to Prepare for and Manage Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA) During High School and College Athletic Practices and Competitions," which has been published in numerous journals.
Smith served on the NCAA Committee on Competitive Safeguards and Medical Aspects of Sports and chaired the NCAA Drug Education and Drug Testing Sub-Committee. He also served on the NCAA Concussion Safety Protocol Committee. In addition to his responsibilities at Canisius, Smith also serves as an AT spotter for the National Football League.
Smith lives in Eggertsville, N.Y., with his wife, Carol. The couple has two children, Grant and Ava.
