Until his death in 2002, Lancer Smith was a driving force with the coaching, development and promotion of wrestling in Alaska. Hard-nosed and rugged, he was a big man with a bigger heart. In 1988 Smith was inducted into the Alaska State Wrestling Hall of Fame. He coached Mat-Su Valley high school wrestling teams at Palmer and Colony from 1973 to 2000, making men and building champions. Before he got into coaching Smith was a college All-American at Diablo Valley Junior College and then a two-time Big Sky champion at Idaho State University. He was an Olympic alternate in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1968 Summer Games. Smith was one of five prominent figures in Alaska wrestling to be inducted into the National Hall of Fame.
