SP O RTS RELEASE
Former football star Jeff Gooch, basketball great Charlie Fishback and golfing standout Richard Smith
to be inducted into Austin Peay Athletic Hall of Fame, Feb. 23
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
W-02 BK/bk 1/30/15
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn.--Three individuals who contributed greatly athletically to Austin Peay State
University athletics--former Govs football star and current Tampa Bay Buccaneer Jeff Gooch, two-time first-team
All-Ohio Valley Conference basketball guard Charlie Fishback and former OVC Golfer of the Year Richard Smith,
will be inducted into the APSU's Athletics Hall of Fame.
The trio will be inducted during Hall of Fame Day ceremonies, Saturday, Feb. 23.
A 10 a.m. brunch in the Dunn Center's front lobby will be followed by induction ceremonies that will
watch the APSU Athletic Hall of Fame grow to 74. The newest inductees also will be honored during haqlftime
ceremonies at the APSU-Southeast Missouri, 7:30 p.m., men's basketball game. Tickets for the brunch will be
$10 and can be reserved by telephoning (931) 221-7903.
The versatile Gooch played a variety of positions during his four-year APSU football career (1992-1995).
He played strong/free safety, rover, quarterback and outside linebacker while a Governor. Recruited as a defen-
sive back, injuries forced him to shift to quarterback--one of his prep positions--as a sophomore. He threw for
431 yards and rushed for more 287 while also recording 12 tackles in two games at linebacker.
The Nashville native played his final two years exclusively as a defender. He finished his career with 215
tackles, including 17 for loss. As a senior, he also had one interception and five pass break ups to go with 87
tackles.
At the conclusion of his senior season, he became the first APSU in history to be invited and play in the
Hula Bowl in Honolulu, Hawaii. Although, he went undrafted in the Spring 1996 draft, he signed as a free agent
with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He just completed his sixth season with them, including 16 starts at outside
linebacker in 1998.
Fishback, meanwhile, played just two seasons at APSU after transferring from Cumberland College, but
had a huge impact for the Govs and in the OVC in that short time frame. He was named an All-OVC guard in
1974-75, averaging 18.9 points per game while shooting 51.6 percent from the floor and 80.6 percent from the
free-throw line.
As a senior, he repeated as an All-OVC by averaging 15.9 points per game scoring, shooting 51.4
percent from the floor and 78.3 percent from the line. An outstanding defender, he also had 61 steals as a senior.
Overall, Fishback averaged 17.4 points per game during his career and along the way also was named
to the Clemson and Evansville all-tourney teams. He also was a member of the OVC all-tourney team in 1975.
After completing his eligibility, he served one season as a Govs' assistant.
Smith was a four-year standout for the Govs' golf team, winning several tournaments during his career.
He led the Governors to their first-ever OVC golf championship in 1979, earning OVC Player of the Year Honors
after shooting a three-day total of 216.
He followed up the next season with his second-straight All-OVC selection. He also was two-time
Tennessee Intercollegiate Championship all-state selection.
In addition, the two-time APSU co-captain left APSU owning the career low-scoring average. He aver-
aged 75.0 as a freshman in 1976-77, 74.93 as a sophomore, 73.0 as a junior and 74.07 as a senior.
He led the 1978-79 team to one of best team records ever, 83-7 during Spring 1980 and a combined 119-
17 for year. That team was ranked No. 15 in the nation by Golf World Magazine.
Since college, Smith's has continued his stellar golf career. He has won both the Tennessee State Open
and the Tennessee State Mid-Amateur. He has finished runner-up four times in the Tennessee Player of the Year
Points race. He also has finished in the Top 16 in the U.S. Amateur in both 1999 and 2000 and was a member of
the 1999 Men's state team that finished four nationally.