2009 football guide.p65 - Collegefootballdatadvds.com

FOOTBALL 2009
HEAD COACH CHRIS SMITH
Chris Smith is in his 26th
season as Grove City
College’s head football
coach.
A 1972 Grove City College
graduate, Smith is the
dean of the Presidents’ Athletic
Conference football
coaches. He is also the
winningest coach in the
114-year history of Grove
City football.
Smith guided the Wolverines
to a 6-4 mark in
2008, including wins over
longtime rivals Carnegie
Mellon, Geneva and Thiel.
Numerous Grove City players have earned national and
regional acclaim during his tenure. In 2005, safety Aaron Margo
earned First Team All-America from the American Football
Coaches Association (AFCA) and represented the U.S. in the
Aztec Bowl.
In 2007, center Matt Gregg became Grove City’s third
Aztec Bowl participant this decade.
Under Smith’s direction, the Wolverine program ascended
into the national picture with consecutive PAC championships
in 1997 and 1998. Grove City also recorded runner-up
finishes in both 1999 and 2000.
During that time, Smith guided an offensive juggernaut
that featured record-setting fullback R.J. Bowers, who became
the first college running back to eclipse the 7,000yard
mark for his career.
In 1997, Smith led the Wolverines to their first-ever PAC
championship and first nine-win season in program history.
Grove City capped the season by hosting the United States
Merchant Marine Academy in the ECAC Southwest Bowl.
For his efforts that season, the American Football Coaches
Association, the Metropolitan New York Writers Association
and the PAC all honored Smith as their Coach of the Year.
In 1995, Smith earned the Tri-State Officials Association’s
Coach of the Year award.
Overall, Smith has coached seven players who have attained
All-American status as well as countless others who
have earned ECAC and PAC recognition through the years.
The Wolverines’ on-field success has been matched by
success in the classroom. Over the past two decades, numerous
Grove City players have received recognition both
regionally and nationally for their academic performances.
Grove City’s four CoSIDA Academic All-District selections
in 2005 set a new program record. Grove City again matched
that standard in 2006.
In 2008, linebacker Adam Eichler and guard Dave Salera
both earned CoSIDA Academic All-America honors following
the season. Eichler, Salera and wide receiver Stephen Mercer
all earned Academic All-District recognition in 2008.
A highly-respected member of the coaching community,
Smith is actively involved on the American Football Coaches
Association Division III Football Council. He is also a member
of the NCAA Division III Football Committee, which supervises
the NCAA Division III playoffs.
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Smith ascended to the head coaching position at Grove
City in 1984 after spending five years as an assistant at the
College. Prior to joining the Grove City football staff in 1979,
Smith coached the outside linebackers at Western Kentucky
University under head coach Jimmy Feix.
Smith’s coaching career began at Perry High School in
his hometown of Massillon, Ohio.
From 1996-2003, Smith also held the role of Director of
Athletics at Grove City, overseeing the College’s 19-sport
program.
As a player, Smith started at safety for the Wolverines
from 1968-71. He led the team in interceptions three times
and holds Grove City’s career record for interceptions with
22. In Smith’s four-year tenure in the secondary, the Wolverines
compiled a 17-15-3 (.529) record.
Over his 34 years as a player, assistant coach and head
coach at Grove City, Smith has been involved in 320 games.
He was head coach for the program’s 800th and 900th alltime
games and was an assistant for the 700th game in 1979.
He and his wife, Barbara, live in Grove City. Their daughter
Ellie is a 2003 Grove City College graduate.
Chris Smith enters his 26th year as Grove City College’s
head football coach. A 1972 Grove City graduate, Smith
has been involved in 320 games as a player, assistant
coach and head coach in 34 total seasons with the
program.
HEAD COACH CHRIS SMITH