[1] He served in the United States Army during World War II and studied journalism at the University of Michigan following his discharge.
[2] He spent six years as the sports editor of the Mount Clemens Daily Monitor Leader and covered high school and college football and basketball for the Detroit Times from 1952 to 1957.
[1][2] Smith was named publicity director of the National Basketball Association's Detroit Pistons shortly after the team relocated from Fort Wayne, Indiana.
[7] In 1968, Smith purchased two Grand Rapids area newspapers – the Lowell Ledger and Ada Suburban Life.
Smith left Windsor Raceway in 1978 and worked for the Anthony Franco public relations firm in Detroit.