Anyone who has been around the Lipscomb athletics department over the last five decades has likely seen the impact in some form or fashion of three distinguished employees – Coach Frank Bennett, Dr. Lin Garner and Lint Smith.
The trio of longtime department fixtures will all be officially retiring at the end of May after more than 120 years of combined service for the Bisons. It is safe to say, they all will be deeply missed by anyone who has ever been associated with Lipscomb athletics.
"Beyond simply the time is all of the heart, soul and love that they have poured into Lipscomb over the years," Athletic Director Philip Hutcheson said. "All three have made tremendous contributions to help Lipscomb Athletics, and by extension, Lipscomb University grow and excel. But even more meaningful are the personal investments they've made that have resulted in an eternal difference in the lives of our student athletes.
"I don' t think it is too much to say that there are many student athletes who chose, came to and graduated from Lipscomb at least in part because of the work that Frank, Lin and Lint have done to make Lipscomb special.
"Many of those students met their best friends here, made some of their best memories here, launched into careers here, and accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior here. And again, whether that was recruiting and coaching them, teaching and advising them or helping to make sure that their competitive athletics experience was first-rate every time they stepped on the field or court, each of them contributed in such meaningful ways during their time as a part of our athletics team."
FRANK BENNETT
The ever-popular "Coach Bennett", who will turn 69 in June, leaves Lipscomb after more than 40 years as a full-time staff member.
He started working at Lipscomb in 1980 after being hired as the head women's basketball coach. Bennett turned the Lady Bisons into a NAIA national power where guided his teams to eight NAIA National Tournaments, including three consecutive final fours, and played in the NAIA National Championship game in 1994.
He won numerous coaching honors, including four conference Coach of the Year awards and NAIA National Women's Coach of the Year in 1996 and 1999. But perhaps one of his best coaching performances was leading the Lady Bisons to the NCAA Tournament in the program's first year of eligibility in 2004.
He produced 22 All-Americans in his 32-year coaching career and retired in 2012 as the 25th-winningest women's basketball coach in NCAA history with a record of 583-438.
Bennett was enshrined in the NAIA Hall of Fame in 2002 and the Lipscomb Athletics Hall of Fame in 2013.
Since 2012, Bennett has served as Associate AD for Internal Affairs where he handled the day-to-day operations for the department, including scheduling the usage of facilities, serving as a game administrator and administrative contact with the ASUN Conference.
Bennett attended Lipscomb from kindergarten through college. He is a 1969 graduate of David Lipscomb High School (DLHS) and a 1973 graduate of Lipscomb University with a degree in mathematics. While in college at Lipscomb, Bennett lettered four years on the men's tennis team and was the assistant basketball coach for DLHS. He served as head coach of the DHLS girls' team before taking the helm of the women's basketball program.
Bennett and his wife Jan have three children: Franklin, Lee and Laura.
"Frank is in our Athletics Hall of Fame, and rightly so, for his outstanding career as a coach," Hutcheson said. "And since then, as the de facto "coach of the coaches" in our department, he has continued to help our programs excel.
"His wisdom, gentleness, leadership, listening ear and servant heart are known to all of us and I know that each of us will miss not only his diligent work but also his constant encouragement in word and deed."
Lennie Acuff – Head Men's Basketball Coach
"I have enjoyed so many aspects of being a part of Lipscomb athletics and having the opportunity to learn from Coach Bennett is at the top of that list. He has been so kind with his time, his unparalleled wisdom and his amazing example of what it means to be a man of God. I will always treasure his constant encouragement and investment in everyone associated with Lipscomb. It has been a blessing from the day I walked on campus to see Coach Bennett live out his faith. I love you Coach!"
Chris Klotz – Director of Spiritual Formation
"Frank Bennett is one of the most influential people I have ever been around! One thing I consistently look forward to is our Thursday morning coaches Bible Study (Man Time with Frank) in the athletic department where Frank faithfully showers us with wisdom! Frank is the real deal! He is humble, selfless, wise, encouraging, a great listener, a man of Christ-like character and integrity, and it is clear that he walks closely with Jesus!
"It's not only Frank we are grateful for, but his wife Jan is also to be honored. I am confident that Frank has been able to have such an impact on people's lives thanks to the support, prayers and encouragement of Jan. We love and appreciate Frank and Jan as they are such a strong team and example to so many! I am so thankful for Frank's leadership and friendship in my life. I love Jesus more because of Frank Bennett!"
LIN GARNER
Most known around the department as "Dr. G", Garner finishes her time at Lipscomb after more than 33 years of service.
She came to campus in 1987 after being hired as a full-time professor in the English Department, where she remained for 13 years. From 1998-99 she also served as the Interim Chair of the English Department.
Dr. Garner made the move across campus into athletics in 2000 where she served as Assistant AD for Academics and Senior Woman Administrator (SWA). She was later promoted to Associate AD for Academics.
For a four-month period in 2008 from July to October, Dr. Garner was named the Interim Athletic Director for the department after the resignation of then AD Dr. Steve Potts. Garner remained in the role until Hutcheson was hired to take over the reins of the Bisons program.
Her current duties within the department include overseeing the academic support and other services for student athletes, serving as the liaison to Lipscomb's Student Athlete Advisory Committee, as well as the ASUN's SAAC and sponsoring Lipscomb's chapter of the Alpha Chi Honor Society. She was honored on Wednesday with one of two ASUN Retirement Awards handed out by the league office in a virtual awards show.
Among the long list of honors and achievements, the one Dr. Garner is proudest of is the league-record six ASUN Conference Academic Champion trophies Lipscomb has received in her time. She also had a helping hand in Lipscomb winning both the male and female 2019-20 ASUN Student Athlete of the Year awards in the same year for the first time in school history.
"Even if she'd have never worked in Athletics, Lin would have made a tremendous impact on many of our student athletes simply as an outstanding professor," Hutcheson said. "But since moving into our department, she has helped us navigate the move from NAIA into DI as our Associate AD for Academics, as our SWA and even as Interim AD for a while. More importantly, she has provided steady guidance, sound advice and, best of all, friendship, to each of us and literally thousands of students while here."
Dr. Garner has also achieved numerous awards and distinctions among the academic community. Some of the achievements include: past secretary and president of Tennessee Philological Association; past president of Region III of Alpha Chi Honor Society; published in TPA Bulletin, the University of South Carolina Literary Journal, History of Southern Women's Literature, and Dictionary of American Literary Characters.
A native of Little Rock, Arkansas, Dr. Garner graduated from Little Rock Central High School in 1972. She then went on to receive her undergraduate degree from Harding University in 1975. Two years later she earned an M.A. from the University of Mississippi. Ten years later in 1987 she received her Ph.D. in English from the University of Missouri-Columbia.
In her spare time, Dr. Garner loves to read, watch movies, and cross-stitch. She enjoys watching Arkansas Razorback football and basketball as well as all the Lipscomb teams. She also enjoys anything related to the Civil War.
Dr. Garner is a proud great aunt to four great nieces and nephews: Fiona (19), Kai (12), Sofia (7) and Jesse (18 months).
Dr. Garner will stay on with Lipscomb in a part-time basis through August to help with certifications.
Brandon Rosenthal – Head Volleyball Coach
"Dr. Lin Garner has been instrumental in the growth of our program and my coaching career. Since day one, Lin has been a tremendous resource for me and I'm grateful for her leadership and friendship. I'm excited for her, but ultimately want to thank her for her service to our program, department and university. We are blessed to have her as a part of our Lipscomb Volleyball family."
Kevin O'Brien – Head Women's Soccer Coach
"I'm excited for Dr. G and this retirement. She's earned it, deserves it, and I pray it is everything she desires it to be! Having said that, I'll miss her dearly! She was a part of my interview process eight years ago and her kindness was one of the many takeaways for me that day.
"She has been a mainstay on athletics alley and whenever I, or my staff, needed advice on a player's major or a transfer's academic progress, Dr. G came to the rescue. Being the sport oversight for women's soccer, she has attended countless games with us and it always warmed our hearts when she'd enter our postgame prayer time.
"She's been a great supporter, advocate, and friend of Lipscomb WSOC and we want to say Thank You! Dr. G helped lead our program to two consecutive NCAA tournaments and we so enjoyed celebrating with her in Starkville our first-ever NCAA tournament victory! I'll miss her soft smile, that distinct laugh, her unlimited P-Card, and those great hugs! Thanks Dr. G for being so awesome to me and my program!"
LINT SMITH
The longest tenured staff member in the athletics department, Lint Smith began working at Lipscomb in 1973 at the age of 15 when he mowed the grass. Since then, Lint was brought on full-time as the Grounds Director and has spent the last 47 years as the jack-of-all-trades on campus.
Whenever someone in the department needs something done, the first person they call is Lint. He finds a way to get the job done and is usually one of the first to arrive and last to leave, especially on a game day.
Some of his daily tasks include, but are not limited to, clearing trash, blowing leaves, mowing the fields, field painting, sweeping the arena, raking the fields, tamping the mounds and home plate, toting 50-pound bags, watering the fields, mechanic work and general maintenance across all facilities.
He highly maintains the natural grass and synthetic playing surfaces, helps setup and break down the arena on gamedays, oversees the upkeep of assigned surrounding landscapes, walk ways, parking lots and planting beds. He also maintains the outdoor recreation areas for tennis and basketball.
Not only does he serve as maintenance for just athletics, he also helps support numerous University events as well, including commencement, masses, tailgating events, alumni weekends and concerts and live performances.
"I've said before that things like setup, take down, preparation and maintenance don't happen "by magic" and when I say that, Lint Smith is the first person who comes to my mind," Hutcheson said. "Lint has been a tireless, rock-solid backbone of Lipscomb Athletics and is one of the key reasons why our fields, facilities, games, matches, tournaments and events have the deserved reputation in our conference as being some of the best.
"Lint has worked long and hard and I know that he couldn't have felt like doing all he does every day, but he has continued to be an example to all of us with his consistency and willingness to help. And again, I can promise you, it's been at least in part his work to help make our facilities and events what they are that has attracted student athletes here - allowing Lipscomb to then make that difference in their lives."
Lint will continue to work part-time in helping with some of the mowing and logistics on some gamedays, and we bet you can find him helping out in the concession stand from time-to-time if you want to congratulate him on his next chapter in life.
Jeff Forehand – Head Baseball Coach
"Lint Smith is one of a kind! I knew when I got to Lipscomb 15 years ago, Lint was the man to know and the man that knows how to get things done. Lint has poured his life and soul into Lipscomb Athletics and even though he's retiring, I'm sure we haven't seen the last of him on campus. He is "Our Team's" biggest fan! We love you Lint and are all blessed from working with you all these years!"
Kristin Ryman – Head Softball Coach
"I enrolled at Lipscomb in the fall of 1999, and it didn't take long to hear about Lint. He was always around, but never the center of attention. His determination to do whatever was needed quickly became something I noticed as a player. He'd be in the gym during the day, then out at the field before practice. On game day he would get our field ready and then always stayed and watched. I fully believe he stayed not because it was his job, but because he was a fan.
"Once I became a coach, he was one of the first to congratulate me and show confidence in me. He'd walk past my office almost daily and tap twice on the door frame and say 'hey hey'...sometimes he would stop and talk, other times he would move on to his work. I always appreciated those conversations. We would talk about the team or our new equipment. Lint played slow pitch softball himself and was a legend in the Nashville leagues. So I'd try to get him a bat every couple years to keep him up to date on the latest and best (not that he needed that to crush a softball!). He loved talking about the sport and our team, but never about himself. He was supportive and genuine...willing to do anything to help us out.
"Hard work never fazed him. He was always one of the first to arrive and last to leave. He was dependable and someone who kept all of the rest of us going without ever getting much credit. He flew under the radar in terms of being a most valuable player, but he was nothing short of that. He was a jack-of-all-trades when it came to facilities, and he was a sort of ironman who just showed up every day and did the work...every day. I'll always be grateful for the chance to work with him and get to know him. And I'll certainly miss those two taps on my door frame every day.
"When you show up to a field on game day, all you see is a beautiful finished product. Rarely do fans see the work that goes into getting a field prepped daily for practice or game day. And when it rains...talk about playing an important role of watching the radar, deciding when to tarp, how much conditioner to use, how to get the water drained in an efficient and timely manner to get the game resumed...there are so many time-sensitive decisions to be made...things that most fans take for granted or don't even notice. But if those things don't happen the right way, the game cannot be played. And the guy behind that hard work and those decisions for so many years was Lint. He has spent decades unselfishly making the rest of us look good."
Brian Ryman – Assistant Baseball Coach and Director of Operations
"Lint Smith is the Cal Ripken of Lipscomb... our Iron Man. You can always count on him no matter what! He is the definition of hard work and loyalty. They don't make them like Lint Smith anymore. He is a servant leader in his own way and a Bison for Life.
"It has been an honor to work by his side for 16 years. He has earned this retirement and I look forward to seeing him cheering us on for many years without having to work."
