Joe Smith, a local sportscaster for over 40 years and member of the Indiana Sportswriters/Sportscasters Hall of Fame, died Monday. He was 78.

Smith’s radio station, WGCL, confirmed his passing.

“Joe Smith has passed on,” said Kent Sterling, the station’s program director. “And the voice so synonymous with Monroe County sports will live only in the memories of coaches, athletes, and listeners who treasured his company on so many Monroe County Fridays and Saturdays each fall and winter.”

Smith, originally from Indianapolis, saw firsthand some of the biggest moments in Hoosier sports history.

“IU fans around the globe came to recognize and adore Joe's singular contributions to Hoosier football and basketball broadcasts,” Sterling said.

He still wore his 2007 Insight Bowl ring at the time of his passing.

Smith also spent decades broadcasting high school sports in Bloomington.

“When Joe did play-by-play for high school football or basketball games, he was always exceptionally well prepared and ready to deliver his best for the players, coaches, fans, and families who listened live --or to recordings,” Sterling said.

Smith was awarded the J.W. Bill Orwig Medal in June 2004 by IU for distinguished service to the university. Former university president Michael McRobbie presented Smith with a university Bicentennial Medal in 2020. He was inducted into the Monroe County Sports Hall of Fame in 2021.

Brad Holtz, a friend of Smith’s and president of Sarkes Tarzian radio, said he will remember Smith for more than what he did for broadcasting.

“He was a loyal friend, a loyal father,” Holtz said. “He had your back, and he put his all, he put 110% into everything he did.

“It's not a stretch or hyperbole when I say that when it comes to Monroe County sports in that era, in the 80s and the 90s, Joe Smith was the voice of the community.”

Holtz wants people to remember from Smith the deeper role that sports can play in a community.

“What Joe was able to do is put into words and communicate (through) those words the impact sports have on the youth, and it's important that we have people that can tell those stories, and Joe did it better than anybody has ever done it,” Holtz said.

Smith is survived by his children, Jeff and Jamie, and six grandchildren.

"Joe will be missed, but his example will serve us forever," Sterling said.