Jamie Smith didn"t play varsity lacrosse at Comsewogue until 11th grade, but he made an immediate impact. Playing for coach Ken Reese, Smith gained an instant love of the sport and won the Enners Award in 1981 as Suffolk County"s top player.

"At the time I didn"t know how big it was," he says. "I did come to appreciate the significance of it and felt honored. I was part of a good team with good coaches. I don"t recall feeling head and shoulders above the rest. It"s a great award in memory of someone who gave his life for the country."

Smith played college lacrosse at Cornell, where he was named first team All-Ivy in 1985, under the legend Richie Moran, and competed in the NCAA playoffs as a freshman and sophomore. He recalls strenuous playoff games and intriguing contests against Syracuse and is "honored to play there and be part of that program for four years."

After college he played one season of club lacrosse in southern Australia and spent three seasons playing for the Baltimore Thunder of the Major Indoor Lacrosse League.

In 1986 he became the coordinator of academic and student-athlete services at Loyola College in Baltimore and became assistant director of athletics in 1989. By 1996 he was associate athletic director at Loyola, then was announced as the director of athletics at McDaniel College in Maryland in 1999.

From 1996-1999 he served as executive director of the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association, overseeing the weekly poll, the All-America selections and team selection for the annual Senior All-Star game. In 1998, he was the chair for Team USA Men"s Lacrosse Team at the World Games.