Ira C. Smith, known as “The Voice of Napa Valley Sports”, enjoyed a successful 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 and KVON (1440 AM)/KVYN (99.3 FM).
Born in his parents’ bedroom in Plum Tree, Indiana on July 18, 1936, Ira had a lifelong passion for sports. 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 University 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.
Ira delivered sports updates and provided live play-by-play coverage of thousands of high school football, basketball and other games in the Napa Valley for nearly 50 years. He never retired, calling a playoff basketball game at the age of 87. Ira also served for years as the in-arena public address announcer for the Sacramento Kings. He also emceed hundreds of community events. A member of the Bay Area Radio Hall of Fame, Ira also was named to the Napa High Athletic Hall of Fame and the Vintage High Athletic Hall of Fame. The Napa City Council declared September 10, 2022 to be “Ira C. Smith Day.” Ira passed away in 2024.