Hall of Fame
Mr. Kevin Smay joined the Pitt-Johnstown Mountain Cats baseball program in 1975, led by Head Coach and Mountain Cat Hall of Famer Ken Keiper, after a stellar senior year at nearby Forest Hills High School where he struck out 106 hitters in just 46 innings. Throughout his four standout seasons as a Mountain Cat, Mr. Smay was not only a fire-thrower on the mound but also played every position except catcher and batted over .400 his senior year. Mr. Smay also pitched for Johnstown’s Monte Carlo AAABA Tournament team where he earned the honors of Most Valuable Pitcher in the 1977 Johnstown League.
He graduated from Pitt-Johnstown in 1979 with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Elementary Education and embarked on a kindergarten teaching career in the Meyersdale Area School District, where he also coached junior high wrestling and junior high football. However, after a year and a half at Meyersdale, Mr. Smay resigned his teaching position when the San Francisco Giants offered him an opportunity to continue his baseball career at the professional level. In 1981, Mr. Smay signed a contract with the Clinton (Iowa) Giants in the Class A Midwest League. That summer, he pitched 97 innings in 31 appearances, striking out 67 opponents.
After one season with the Clinton Giants, Mr. Smay returned to his hometown of Sidman, Pa. to continue his teaching career in the Forest Hills School District. Along with teaching, Mr. Smay spent time at Forest Hills coaching and assistant coaching various sports such as varsity football, varsity baseball, and junior high wrestling. Most notably, he became the Forest Hills School District strength coach and started the Powerlifting Club Team as Head Coach.
Many would agree that Mr. Smay made some his greatest impacts through his roles of strength coach and powerlifting coach. Smay’s powerlifters were consistently among the best in the state, earning three Pennsylvania State Powerlifting team championships along with numerous individual first place finishes. He also organized and hosted the annual Forest Hills Powerlifting Competition in Sidman from 2002 to 2016, bringing in the best lifters from local schools to compete.
In addition to his time spent teaching and coaching at the Forest Hills School District, Mr. Smay owned and operated Smay’s Gym, a place not only for current and past student-athletes to continue to grow in the weight room, but also a place where comradery and lifelong friendships were forged. In his spare time, Mr. Smay enjoyed coaching his daughters’ softball and basketball teams, often spending summers traveling up and down the east coast for tournaments. He also competed in and won various local bench press competitions and played men’s league softball and recreational basketball.
Mr. Smay was a lifetime member of the Association of Professional Ballplayers of America, as well as a member of the Pitt-Johnstown Baseball Alumni Group, the Pennsylvania State Education Association (PSEA), and the National Education Association (NEA). In 2016, after 35 years of service in the Forest Hills community, Mr. Smay retired at the age of 58.
Mr. Smay is survived by his wife Christine, two daughters, Cara, married to Mick Ferrante, and Courtney, married to Andrew Swanson. The Smay’s also have five grandchildren and a sixth due in May 2026.
"This induction is such an honor for our family. We are deeply grateful to see his legacy live on and to witness his contributions to the sport and to his community recognized and preserved for future generations.”
