Ben Smith was born in 1920 and raised in Ft. Myers, Florida. In 1938 and 1939, Smith won the Florida State High School Championship, which prompted a scholarship offer to Tulane University.
However, a chance meeting with a University of Michigan professor detoured him to Ann Arbor where he qualified for the golf team.
He graduated four years later as a team captain after finishing third, second and co-medalist in three Big Ten Championships and helping his team win consecutive Big Ten titles.
After college, Smith served in the U.S. Navy during WW II and later settled in Birmingham, MI.
Smith won the Michigan Amateur Championship at Gull Lake CC in 1950 and also went on to win three GAM Championships. He also qualified for six USGA Championships in his years as a top amateur.
He served the game as a GAM Governor and officer and was president of the Michigan Seniors Golf Association.
In 1985, Smith was inducted into the University of Michigan Athletic Hall of Honor. He died in 2009 at the age of 88 in Naples, Fla.
Year inducted: 1990
| Last Name | Smithben |