DU head alpine coach Kurt Smitz officially steps down

DU head alpine coach Kurt Smitz officially steps down{mosimage}DENVER Director of skiing operations and head alpine coach Kurt Smitz will step down from his current role with the University of Denver ski program, director of athletics and recreation Peg Bradley-Doppes announced today. Smitz, in 14 seasons with the University of Denver ski program, helped rebuild the proud skiing program after it was discontinued and mold it into an annual NCAA Championships contender.

‘Kurt did a tremendous job of rebuilding the DU skiing program’ Bradley-Doppes said. ‘He had a vision and his tireless efforts pushed DU back into national contention. He always kept the attention on his student-athletes, but today we celebrate his accomplishments. Kurt will always be part of the DU family and luckily for us, he will stay close to the program as a consultant.’

Hired as head alpine coach in 1992, Smitz took over the Pioneers’ program after it was discontinued as a varsity sport from 1983-92. In 2000, after seven seasons and a pair of second-place finishes from 1993-1999, Smitz led Denver back to the top, as the Pioneers won the first of three consecutive national championships, becoming the first team to pull off that feat since 1988. Denver had not won three national titles in a row since 1969-71.

Smitz guided Denver to the first of its four championships in 2000, a come-from-behind effort spearheaded by historic sweeps of both men’s nordic events. Denver earned 15 All-America honors and three individual national champions in the process, the first time DU accomplished that feat since 1969. The Pioneers won the 2001 title in Middlebury, Vermont, as Denver skiers won two individual titles and garnered 11 All-America honors. Denver won its third title in Alaska in 2002 with dominating performances in the women’s giant slalom and the men’s freestyle nordic race. In 2005, the Pioneers won their fourth title in six years with a dominating effort and have captured four of the seven titles decided this decade.

‘It is a privilege to have worked for the University of Denver and represented its ski team’ Smitz said. ‘It has given me the opportunity to be associated with quality student-athletes, great coaches and the opportunity to share in the incredible feeling of team success. But perhaps more important is that we were able to achieve our goals without compromising academic integrity. To that extent, I feel we prepared our people well.’

In all, Smitz has guided Pioneer skiers to 21 individual national championships and 89 All-America finishes in his 14 seasons as coach. Six Pioneer skiers earned Academic All-America honors and 10 skiers received prestigious NCAA post-graduate scholarships in his tenure.

After spending 11 seasons as head alpine coach, Smitz took up the position of director of skiing operations in 2003 and devotes more time to the business and fundraising side of the program. His assembly of a talented coaching staff has kept the Pioneers firing on all cylinders, and allowed Smitz to bolster the support of both alumni and friends of Denver skiing.

Prior to his arrival at Denver, Smitz coached at his alma mater, the University of Wyoming, from 1985-92. A Wisconsin native, Smitz graduated from Wyoming in 1974. He has served as a member and chair of the NCAA Men and Women’s Skiing Committee, and has represented both the United States and Norway as a coach at the Winter World University Games. In May of 2003, Smitz was married to Cecily Grant of Colorado.

Denver University