Who’s Who in Karate: Grandmaster Clarence "Daddy-O" Smith

Grandmaster Clarence “Daddy-O” Smith was promoted to 9th Dan (GU-DAN) by the International Martial Arts Council of America, July 23, 2016, and is a member of the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame and inducted into the United States Martial Arts Hall of Fame as Ambassador of Martial Arts.

Grandmaster Smith started his martial arts training in San Angelo at the Boys Clubs under Mr. Cooksey from Goodfellow Air Force Base and continued his training under Grandmaster James Cummings. During the 1980’s Grandmaster Smith competed on the state, national and international level and was nationally ranked by Karate Illustrated (Top 10) in Kumite-Fighting and Kata-Forms with his close friends for over 40 years (Grandmaster Johnny Thompson and Grandmaster Tom Balmos). Grandmaster continues to compete in the executive division.

As a martial arts enthusiast, Grandmaster Smith earned and was awarded his title of Grandmaster in 2004 after practicing Tang Soo Do for 35 plus years. Most of his teachings and competitions were on the Texas state circuit where he was mentored by Grand Master James Cummings. Grand Master Smith competed on both the state, national, and international levels. He received many accolades including four-time Instructor of the Year, three-time School of the Year, 2003 Competitor of the Year, and was also inducted into the National Hall of Fame in 2003.