| Year: | 2015 |
| Team: | Rams Supporter |
Larry and Michael Smith, distinguished alumni and successful businessmen, have been two of Suffolk University’s biggest sports fans over the years. While it has been over five decades since the two brothers graduated, the brothers' support of their alma mater's atheltic program endures.
The Smith’s, co-founders of the Nation Safe Drivers Group in Boca Raton, Florida, were in the auto club and insurance industry for more than 50 years. They are also active investors in real estate businesses in Florida and Massachusetts.
Their philanthropy over the years has had a significant impact on the University, providing for the creation of an executive case discussion room in the Sawyer Business School and establishing an endowed scholarship in memory of their friend, Pvt. Sheldon R. Cohen, who served in Vietnam. The scholarship offers financial assistance to a graduate of Chelsea High School attending Suffolk University.
The Smiths' also subsidizes travel and uniform costs for Suffolk athletes, helped create a new fitness center, and, most recently, sponsored a renovation of Suffolk's largest residence hall at 150 Tremont Street, renamed Smith Hall, in honor of the brothers.
“We were raised to believe that if you made it, you had an obligation to give back,” said the brothers in a joint statement. “We appreciate our Suffolk education. It taught us how to run a business professionally and give us the skills we needed to create and grow a successful business on our own.”
A student-athlete himself, Larry Smith, was a four-year starter on the men's basketball team from 1961 to 1965 and captained the team during his senior year.
The lanky, six-foot-four forward was a tenacious defensive player and rebounder who once scored 29 points for the victorious Rams in the Babson Invitational Tournament. He had the privilege of playing for Charles Law, the University's first head coach and athletics director and a 2007 Hall of Fame inductee.
Larry Smith lives in Highland Beach, Florida, with his wife, Elaine Smith. They have three children and seven grandchildren. Michael Smith resides in Deerfield, Florida, with his wife, Annette. They have three children and four grandchildren.