High School

Iowa softball coach succumbs to cancer battle

Tony Smith was the head softball coach at Waterloo Columbus

Dana Becker

Following an 18-month battle with stomach cancer, Waterloo Columbus head softball coach Tony Smith passed away Saturday. He was 44 years old.

A graduate of Waterloo Columbus, his initials were placed on Deviney Waterbury Field while a community vigil was held Sunday night.

After his graduation from Columbus in 1998, Smith served in the United States Navy from 2000-04. Since that time, he had coached wrestling, basketball and softball in the Cedar Valley for nearly two decades. 

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Dana Becker
DANA BECKER

Dana Becker has been a sports writer in Iowa since 2000, writing for The Fort Dodge Messenger, Mason City Globe-Gazette, Cedar Rapids Gazette and others. Dana resides in northcentral Iowa and started as a writer with SB Live Sports in 2022 focused on the state of Iowa. Along with providing coverage of football and wrestling, Dana also spotlights cross country, swimming, basketball, track and field, soccer, tennis, golf, baseball and softball. He began writing for High School on SI in 2023.

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