SMSU Athletics Hall of Honor
Rich Rhinesmith was a four-year letterwinner in both baseball (1984-87) and football (1983-85, 87) earning numerous awards in both sports.
On the baseball diamond, Rhinesmith, a native of Cape May, N.J., was a three-time first team All-Northern Intercollegiate Conference and three-time NAIA All-District honoree. He finished his career playing in 174 career games and recording a .341 batting average. At the end of career, he held school records for RBIs (150), runs scored (144), at bats (572), home runs (26) and base hits (195). He still ranks among the top 10 in school history in eight offensive categories.
A member of SMSU’s 1986 NAIA District championship team, he was named the team’s most inspirational player all four years of his career and was named team MVP in 1987.
On the football field, he played in 42 career games at linebacker, racking up 174 career tackles, including 15 for loss, with seven sacks and three interceptions. He was named honorable mention All-NIC in 1987 and was a member of SMSU’s first-ever NAIA playoff team in 1987.
