| Crook Smith | |
| Birth Date: | 21 March 1899 |
| Birth Place: | Fayetteville, Tennessee, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Tennessee, U.S. |
| Player Sport1: | Football |
| Player Years2: | 1921–1924 |
| Player Team2: | Mercer |
| Player Sport3: | Basketball |
| Player Years4: | 1921–1924 |
| Player Team4: | Mercer |
| Player Positions: | End (football) Forward (basketball) |
| Coach Sport1: | Football |
| Coach Years2: | 1929–1942 |
| Coach Team2: | South Georgia Teachers / Georgia Teachers |
| Coach Sport3: | Basketball |
| Coach Years4: | 1930–1942 |
| Coach Team4: | South Georgia Teachers / Georgia Teachers |
| Coach Sport5: | Baseball |
| Coach Years6: | 1933–1935 |
| Coach Team6: | South Georgia Teachers |
| Overall Record: | 45–66–7 (football) 116–60 (basketball) 32–20 (baseball) |
| Awards: | All-Southern (1922, 1923) Mercer Athletics Hall of Fame Georgia Sports Hall of Fame |
Byron Lambert "Consuello" "Crook" Smith (March 21, 1899 – March 3, 1990) was an American college football, baseball, and basketball player and coach inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame in 1979. He played for Mercer, and, after a short career as a baseball player and umpire in professional baseball, he was the head coach for the Georgia Southern Eagles team of Georgia Southern University (then known as Georgia Teacher's College).[1] He was later assistant pastor and director of young people's work at Immanuel Baptist Church in Savannah.[2]
University of Georgia coach Herman Stegeman said Smith during his playing days was "without a doubt the best all-around athlete of the South."[3]
Smith was from Fayetteville.[4] He earned 13 letters in football, baseball, basketball, and track for the Mercer Bears. He was inducted into the Mercer Athletics Hall of Fame in its inaugural year of 1971.[5] "Crook" was the older brother of Phoney Smith.[6]
Smith was a prominent end on the football team.[7]
He was selected All-Southern.[8] [9]
He was selected All-Southern by Julian Leggett of the Macon News.[7] [10]
In basketball he was a forward, and was selected All-Southern.[11] [12] [13] He was captain of the basketball team.[14] He played alongside George Harmon and Bob Gamble.[15] Their team was the runner-up to North Carolina in the 1922 SoCon Tournament.
Smith coached the Georgia Southern Eagles team of Georgia Southern University (then known as Georgia Teacher's College) from 1929 to 1942. His basketball teams compiled a 116 - 60 record.[16] [17] His 1937 football team lost the first game played in the Orange Bowl. His 1939 football team won the Bacardi Bowl.