Hall of Fame
Janet Eaton-Smith played basketball at Jones during the 1988-89 and 1990-91 seasons.
Smith came to Jones from South Jones High School where she played on the undefeated, 37-0 1988 SJ MHSAA championship team. She was the starting point guard on that team, averaging 12 points and six assists per game.
She was voted Most Athletic by her peers, named All-District and All-South State and made several All-Tournament teams.
After graduating from Jones, Eaton-Smith went to Dillard University in New Orleans, La., and graduated with a degree in health and physical education in 1994. She earned her master’s degree in administration with an emphasis in diversity from the University of Phoenix in Kenner, La., in 2001.
Eaton-Smith began her collegiate coaching career at Lamar University, where she was an assistant coach for the NCAA Division I women’s basketball program for four seasons.
Before coaching in college, she was the athletic director, women’s basketball coach and a teacher at Xavier University Prep High School in New Orleans. Before that, she was a teacher and a coach at St. Bernard High School in Louisiana. While at Xavier in 2001-02, she was the district’s Athletic Director of the Year, named Metro Coach of the Year, selected as the Co-Catholic Coach of the Year and the Orleans Parish Coach of the Year. She was also the sponsor for the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.
Eaton-Smith spent six years at Wiley University where she was the head women’s basketball coach, an Associate Director of Athletics and Director of Athletics. She spent her final three years at Wiley as fulltime Director of Athletics.
She then served as assistant women’s basketball coach and adjunct professor at Indiana State University.
Eaton-Smith then went to Lourdes University in Sylvania, Ohio, where she was the Vice President of Athletics and the Senior Woman Leader. She was named the 2023 Nike NAIA Executive of the Year by Women’s Leaders in College Sports and was the 2020-21 Terry Bocian Athletic Director of the Year.
Under her leadership at Lourdes, the Gray Wolves were a five-time NAIA Gold Five-Star Institution, she added five athletic teams to the LU lineup, increased the department fundraising and worked to secure grants for facility improvements.
At Lourdes, Eaton-Smith became a member of the NAIA RISE (Respect, Inclusivity, Support, Education) program, providing an avenue for NAIA membership to participate in training and programming aimed at influencing positive change in the Association where all people are valued and provided equal opportunity in all aspects of life.
She is also a member of the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA).
Eaton-Smith has been Director of Athletics at Ottawa University in Kansas since March 2024.
