Home › The Jhoon Rhee Lineage: Jhoon Rhee, Jeff Smith and Stephen Oliver
Grand Master Jeff Smith’s lineage runs directly from Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, the “Father of American Taekwondo.” Smith began training in 1965 in the Texas college-club network that Rhee built with Allen Steen and Pat Burleson, and he received every rank through 9th Degree from Rhee.1,2 In 2016 the Professional Karate Commission promoted him to 10th Degree and Grand Master.1,3 Smith has passed the line on to a small number of senior black belts, above all Stephen Oliver, whom he promoted to 10th Degree in April 2026.4,5
Jhoon Rhee → Jeff Smith → Stephen Oliver
How did Jeff Smith enter the Jhoon Rhee lineage?
Jhoon Rhee arrived in San Antonio in 1956 and taught in Texas before moving to Washington, D.C.6,7 His early black belts, led by Allen Steen and Pat Burleson, built a network of college clubs across Texas.8,9 Smith joined the club at Texas A&I University in Kingsville in 1965, at about fourteen, and by his account Rhee visited the Texas clubs every semester to teach and test students.10,11,7 See Texas Taekwondo Origins for the full story.
In 1970 Smith accepted Rhee’s invitation to teach in Washington, and for the next fifteen years he rose through the Jhoon Rhee Institute to vice president.10,12 The detail is on Jeff Smith at the Jhoon Rhee Institute.
Who promoted Jeff Smith, and when?
| Rank | Year | Promoted by |
|---|---|---|
| 1st Degree Black Belt | September 1969 | Jhoon Rhee lineage, Texas A&I club11,13 |
| 2nd through 9th Degree | 1970s–2010s | Grand Master Jhoon Rhee; the 9th Degree came a few years before Rhee’s death in 20181,2 |
| 10th Degree and title of Grand Master | June 2016 | Professional Karate Commission at the Battle of Atlanta World Karate Championships; presented by Glenn Keeney and Allen Steen, signed by Pat Johnson and Pat Burleson1,3 |
Who promoted Stephen Oliver, and when?
Stephen Oliver’s first instructors in Tulsa in 1969, Gran Moulder and Bob Olinghouse, came from the same Texas Jhoon Rhee network as Smith.14,5 In 1976 and 1978 Oliver trained at the Jhoon Rhee Institute headquarters in Washington alongside Smith, then the reigning PKA World Light Heavyweight Champion, and completed his black belt there in 1978.5,14 Oliver received 1st through 6th Degree from Jhoon Rhee. From 7th Degree on, his promotions came through Smith:
| Rank | Year | Promoted by |
|---|---|---|
| 1st through 6th Degree | 1978 onward | Grand Master Jhoon Rhee |
| 7th Degree | 2001 | Recognized by Jeff Smith14,15 |
| 8th Degree | 2006 | Jeff Smith, jointly with Joe Corley14,16 |
| 9th Degree | 2015 | A board of Jeff Smith, Bill Wallace, Pat Burleson and Joe Corley14,15 |
| 10th Degree | April 2026 | Grand Master Jeff Smith4,5 |
Separately, the Uechiryu Butokukai (founded 1974) Senior Master’s Council under Grand Master Buzz Durkin promoted Oliver to Ju-Dan (10th Degree); the certificate is dated April 29, 2026.
Whom has Jeff Smith promoted to senior rank?
Smith has been sparing with senior rank. In a Ripple Effect Martial Arts interview he said, “I’ve only promoted one other 8th degree in 57 years,” referring to Mark Glazier alongside Oliver; the same interview names Oliver as his only 9th Degree promotion and Greg Macy among his 5th Degrees.17 Oliver describes Smith as the “Most Senior living Black Belt from our Jhoon Rhee Lineage.”4
Why the lineage matters
The Rhee line did more than pass on technique. The Jhoon Rhee Institute was where many of the business systems that now run American martial arts schools were tested, and Smith carried them from Rhee’s schools to his own and then to Mile High Karate and Martial Arts Wealth Mastery.18,10 Read the full account in Grand Master Jeff Smith: A Documented History.
Frequently asked questions
Who was Jeff Smith’s instructor?
Grand Master Jhoon Rhee, the “Father of American Taekwondo.” Smith trained in Rhee’s Texas college-club network from 1965 and received every rank through 9th Degree from him.1,2
Who promoted Jeff Smith to 10th Degree?
The Professional Karate Commission, at the Battle of Atlanta World Karate Championships in June 2016, with Glenn Keeney and Allen Steen presenting and Pat Johnson and Pat Burleson signing.1,3
Who promoted Stephen Oliver to 10th Degree?
Grand Master Jeff Smith, in April 2026. Oliver had earlier received 1st through 6th Degree from Jhoon Rhee and his 7th, 8th and 9th Degrees through Smith.4,14
Related pages
- Grand Master Jhoon Rhee
- Jeff Smith at the Jhoon Rhee Institute
- Texas Taekwondo Origins
- Jeff Smith and Stephen Oliver
Grand Master Stephen Oliver’s own rank timeline in this lineage, from his first class in Tulsa in 1969 and his Black Belt from Jhoon Rhee in 1978 to his 10th Degree in 2026, is on StephenCOliver.com.
Work with Grand Master Jeff Smith
School owners can book a free Growth Diagnostic: 30 minutes with Grand Master Jeff Smith and 30 minutes with Grand Master Stephen Oliver. See how it works.
Sources
- Wikipedia, “Jeff Smith (martial arts)”
- Go2Karate, “Congratulations Grand Master Jeff Smith”
- Martial Arts Who’s Who Directory, “Jeff Smith” listing
- LinkedIn post by Stephen Oliver on his 10th-degree promotion
- Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, “Who Is Stephen Oliver?”
- Kido Kwan, “How Tae Kwon Do Won the West”
- Go2Karate, “Jeff Smith Interview”
- Black Belt, “Allen Steen: A Giant Among Warriors”
- Wikipedia, “Allen Steen”
- Herb Borkland, “The Champion Who Conquered the Ring and the School Business,” MAIA Hub
- International Kickboxing Federation, “Jeff Smith” biography page
- Lynn Darling, “Fleet Feet Fantasies,” The Washington Post, May 13, 1982
- Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, “Lineage: Jhoon Rhee”
- Martial Arts Professional, “Stephen Oliver’s Mile High Karate: Background Information”
- Martial Arts Wealth Mastery, “Stephen Oliver”
- Martial Arts Professional, “The PKA and Joe Corley: Full-Contact Karate History”
- Ripple Effect Martial Arts, “Grand Masters Jeff Smith and Mark Glazier”
- Martial Arts Professional, “The History of the Martial Arts School Business in the United States”