It was a morning practice in the summer of 1986. The Mercer County football team had just finished a 10-minute period of throwing pass patterns on air — no defense. Not a single completion.
The night before we had scrimmaged Leslie County and it was ugly. That morning, no one would have imagined that this team would win the first district and region championships in Mercer County history, but that is exactly what happened.
Chuck Smith was our defensive coordinator that season. He had joined the Scotties’ staff in the fall of 1983, the year after I graduated. He had played linebacker at Kentucky for Fran Curci.
Chuck became a very good friend and mentor. He also went on to lead Boyle County to five straight state titles and later become the linebacker coach and recruiting coordinator at Kentucky. At UK, he has been a big part of the success the program has enjoyed over the last seven years and he has had numerous players drafted by the NFL. The argument could be made he is the best high school football coach in the history of the state, based on what Boyle County accomplished under his leadership.
Chuck became a head coach in the fall of 1987. After I became one five years later, whenever I had a question or a problem come up that I had to address, he was the person I called — and I called a lot. He always had great ideas and they were consistent with my belief system and philosophy – both in regards to football and in how to work with people.
Although Chuck is known for defense, his strength is in how he works with people. He is great in motivating people and understanding what makes them tick. He knows how to keep them hungry to be their best. He puts people first and treats them the way he wants to be treated. He is like Coach Bill Arnsparger in that he is masterful at deflecting attention and praise from himself to his coaches and players. It is very difficult to get him to talk about himself and his successes, or to say the word “I.”
Though he is primarily a defensive coach, Chuck has also had a profound effect on the offense we run at Mason County. When I was in charge of the offensive scout team at Mercer County (I have spent my life running the scout team), Chuck’s linebackers would be calling our play as soon as they saw our formation. I hated that.
Because of that experience, at Mason County we try to use as many formations as possible. I want our opponents to see an endless number of formations on film, and then new ones on the night we play. I don’t want them to be comfortable and confident. I want them to feel like they’re seeing something they have never seen before. Now, we run the same plays every week, but hopefully we look different each week, and that is because of Chuck.
Our defense is Chuck’s defense. When he was a linebacker at UK, the defensive coordinator was Charlie Bailey. That defense has been sound at UK, Mercer County, Boyle County, Meade County, Campbellsville, Paris and Mason County.
That defensive system is like every other part of the game — it gets better as the players, talent level and effort improve. But, it is a sound system based on fundamentals, techniques, reads, keys and proper alignment.
Originally the defense was a “50” – an odd front with two defensive ends, two defensive tackles and a nose guard. With the advent of the spread offense, the base defense became a 40 (two ends and two tackles) so there could be four linebackers that could adjust better to spread sets.
We adjust the technique and alignment of our two defensive tackles based on their size and ability. We have also adjusted the reads and keys to help our guys play a little faster. And now, we can play a 30 (two defensive ends and a nose guard). But, overall, it is his defense. And — you can ask our staff — I don’t like to vary much from it.
Technique practice was something that Chuck and I both developed to help us get started at Boyle County and Mason County. Originally, it meant the entire staff coaching one position at a time early in the preseason. It was a great way to help our coaches get on the same page and to make sure we were consistently teaching the right fundamentals to our kids and using the same terminology.
We still do technique practices, but it no longer takes seven hours a day, the way we used to do it. Those practices give us a solid foundation to build our team upon each season.
My coaches tease me and tell me that if “the firm” doesn’t tell me to do something, I won’t. The firm is “Smith, Smith, Holcomb and Coverdale.”
I listen to the ideas of my staff a lot more than they let on. But, listening to Chuck Smith has made our teams much more successful. When all is said and done, he will be remembered as one of the best of all time.