Connie Marie PRICE-SMITH

Connie Price-Smith competed at four Olympics, in the discus throw in 1988 and 1992, and the shot put in 1988 and 1996-2000, with a best finish of fifth in the shot in 1996. She was world ranked in the shot put for five consecutive years from 1995-99, with a top ranking of #3 in 1998. Price-Smith competed internationally for the US every year from 1987-2001. She competed at the World Championships in 1987, 1991, 1995, 1997, 1999, and 2001, with a best finish of fifth in the shot put in 1997. She was a four-time medalist at the Pan American Games, winning shot put gold in 1995 and 1999, after a silver in 1991, and added a bronze medal in the discus at the 1987 Pan Ams. She was silver medalist in the shot at the 1995 World Indoors.

Outdoors, Price-Smith was an 11-time US Champion in the shot put, won 7 national titles with the discus, and also won 7 indoor US Championships. Price-Smith attended Southern Illinois University, graduating in 1985, where she played basketball in addition to competing in track & field. Price-Smith went into coaching, serving as head coach at Southern Illinois Carbondale, but later became head coach at the University of Mississippi in 2015. She was head women’s coach for the 2016 US Olympic team. She was inducted into the SIU Sports Hall of Fame in 1990, and received the school’s Distinguished Alumni Award in 2001. Price-Smith was inducted into the US Track & Field Hall of Fame in 2016.