The iconic life of Ira C. Smith signed off on July 20, 2024. Born in his parents’ bedroom in Plum Tree, Indiana on July 18, 1936, Ira had a passionate lifetime love of sports. He captained his high school basketball team and, true to his Hoosier roots, always preferred that sport above all others.
Ira was the first in his family to graduate from college, receiving both a business degree from Hanover College in 1958 and a broadcasting certificate from the Univ. of Cincinnati in 1964. In between those two college stints he served in the U.S. Army, where he got his first introduction to broadcasting. That led to a remarkable 60-year career in broadcasting, serving at radio stations in Indiana and Michigan (including play-by-play for University of Michigan football) before moving across the country in 1976 to Napa, California and KVON (1440 AM)/KVYN (99.3 FM).
Ira became “The Voice of Napa Valley Sports,” delivering sports updates and providing live play-by-play coverage of literally thousands of high school football, basketball and other games over a 48-year span. He never retired, calling a playoff basketball game in February at age 87. He just recently finalized his fall ’24 football broadcast schedule.
In addition to his radio exploits, Ira served for several years as the in-arena public address announcer for the Sacramento Kings and voiced the first “NBA 2K” video game. He also hosted, MC’d and announced more community events than anyone could ever count.
So far Ira is a member of three different halls of fame: the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, the Napa High Athletic Hall of Fame and the Vintage High Athletic Hall of Fame. The Napa City Council declared September 10, 2022 “Ira C. Smith Day.”
The Napa Valley community was incredibly important to Ira and he served it in innumerable ways. Among many civic and volunteer roles, his favorites were with the Kiwanis Club of Napa, the Napa Chamber of Commerce and the Napa Valley Tennis Association. When fires hit the Valley, he spent long hours in the radio station’s studio, live on the air providing updates, guidance, and reassurance to Napans.
Ira is survived by his brothers Tom (Lisa) and Charles (Mary), sons Brad (Kristy) and Tyler (Heather), daughter Heidi Horton (Coby) and ex-wife Virginia Yee, along with seven grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
The Smith family will conduct a private service in Warren, Indiana and there will be a public celebration of Ira’s life, career and commitment to the Napa Valley community on Saturday, August 24 at 11:00am at Messner Gym on the campus of Napa High School (2475 Jefferson Street). The Glancy H Brown and Son Funeral Home on Warren is in charge of the local arrangements.
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