Donald Smith established himself as one of the most prolific scorers in University of Dayton basketball history, earning recognition as the program's greatest long-range shooter despite playing before the three-point line existed. After graduating from Roth High School in Dayton in 1970, Smith starred for the Flyers from 1971-74, amassing 1,655 career points with a 20.4 scoring average.

Smith's shooting prowess was legendary. He set UD's single-game scoring record with 52 points at Chicago Loyola during his junior year, though coach Don Donoher considered his 44-point performance at Xavier—where he connected on 20 of 25 shots—even more impressive. An exceptional free-throw shooter who practiced from the top of the circle, Smith led the nation as a junior with a 90 percent mark (111-122). He averaged 20.2 points as a sophomore, 23.4 as a junior, and 18.0 as a senior.

As a senior in 1973-74, Smith helped lead Dayton to a 20-9 record and an NCAA Tournament appearance, where the Flyers fell to second-ranked UCLA and Bill Walton in triple overtime. The Philadelphia 76ers selected him in the second round (19th overall) of the 1974 NBA Draft. During his 1974-75 NBA season, he averaged 5.2 points in 54 games, highlighted by a 19-point performance against Washington, where he made all 21 free throw attempts.

Inducted into UD's Hall of Fame in 1980 and named to the All-Century Team in 2004, Smith passed away on March 9, 2004, while awaiting a kidney transplant.