Orlando “Tubby” Smith was named one of six people to be inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame on Monday.

Smith will join former coaches Jay Wright and Ted Owens, as well as former players Danny Ainge, Glen Rice and Walt Hazzard to round out the 2026 class.

After beginning his coaching career at Tulsa, Smith took over as Georgia’s head coach prior to the 1995 season and helmed the Bulldogs for the next two seasons.

During that stretch, Smith went 45-19 and led UGA to consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. The Bulldogs climbed as high as No. 14 in the AP poll after jumping out to a 10-1 start with the lone loss at North Carolina to start the 1995-96 season.

They finished the season 21-10, making it all the way to the Sweet 16 as an eight seed in the 1996 NCAA Tournament. UGA opened the tournament with wins over Clemson and top-seeded Purdue before falling to Syracuse 83-81 in overtime.

The following season, Georgia finished the regular season 24-9 and earned a No. 3 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but was upset by No. 14 seed Chattanooga, 73-70, in the first round. Smith is the last Georgia coach to get Georgia to the Sweet 16.

Smith was hired by Kentucky ahead of the 1997-98 season. He coached the Wildcats for the next 10 years and went 263-83. Kentucky won the national championship in Smith’s first season. Smith led Kentucky to four Elite Eight appearances during his time in Lexington, Kentucky. He finished his coaching tenure with stops at Minnesota, Texas Tech, Memphis and High Point over the next 15 seasons.

Smith is one of just four coaches to lead five different schools to the NCAA Tournament.

Each induction class is selected by the Blue Ribbon Selection Committee, composed of college basketball executives and respected leaders across the country, and is administered by the National Association of Basketball Coaches Foundation.

The Class of 2026 will be formally enshrined during the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame Induction Celebration presented by UMB Private Wealth Management on Oct. 22 at the College Basketball Experience in Kansas City, Missouri.

“The Class of 2026 represents the very best of college basketball – individuals whose performance, leadership, and impact helped shape the game at the highest level,” said Kevin Henderson, CEO of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame. “Their legacies will forever be preserved as part of the sport’s rich history.”

Smith’s coaching career lasted 31 years, during which he managed seven different programs from 1991 to 2022 and finished with a 642-370 career record.