End of an era: Mike Smith announces retirement from St. Paul

NORWALK — Sometimes, you just know. Monday marked an end of an era at St. Paul High School. Longtime boys basketball coach Mike Smith announced his retirement after 32 seasons of coaching at his alma mater. "Although this decision has no way been an easy one, the reason is very simple — after 32 years running the program, it's just time," Smith said. "The job has been one of the best things that has ever happened to me." Smith graduated from St. Paul in 1984. His coaching journey then began right out of high school when John Schlessman asked him to help out at the junior high level. Schlessman was the varsity head coach for one season at St. Paul (1984-85), then Tom Hallet coached the Flyers for four seasons. Smith took over prior to the 1989-90 season and had been there ever since, accumulating 411 wins in the process. "I've been blessed in so many ways and have worked with some truly terrific people," Smith said. "The administrators at St. Paul have been great, starting with the people that hired me 32 years ago. Dennis Doughty and Ruth Weisenberger. They took a chance on a young 22 year old and I will be forever grateful for that. "Having John Livengood for our athletic director has made my job one of the best," he added. "He is the rock that has made St. Paul athletics what it is today. He is a tremendous leader in our school system." During his tenure, Smith's teams won 15 games or more 11 times. His time as coach will best be remembered for the three-year stretch from 1996-98. The Flyers went 70-9 over those three seasons, winning three consecutive Firelands Conference and three Division IV district championships. In 1996-97, the Flyers also finished 24-3, winning a pair of thrilling regional games over Worthington Christian (70-67) and St. Henry (62-60) to reach the state semifinals, where they fell to Van Wert Lincolnview at St. John Arena in Columbus. Smith's teams also won a total of 17 sectional championships, and the Flyers added a fourth FC title under his tenure last season (2019-20). From a consistency standpoint, 25 of Smith's 32 teams finished in the top-half of the FC standings. Unofficially, Smith (411-327) is one of 130 coaches in Ohio history to win 400 or more games. His 269 wins in FC play are the most in conference history. "Mike has always been the consummate professional in regards to being a head basketball coach and leader within our school," Livengood said. "As an athletic director, I have often stated that Mike is the model coach. He is organized, knowledgable, hard-working, disciplined and caring. "He has demonstrated a true love for St. Paul High School and its students," Livengood added. "He has always been supportive of the entire athletic program and all our other athletic teams. Most of all, Mike's dedication and commitment stands out above others when you consider 32 years as a head coach and five years as an assistant coach — all at St. Paul High School." Smith cited the backing of his parents, Milt and the late Lois, when he first stepped into coaching at a young age. Shortly after, he married his wife, Kelly, and they have four children, Connor, Elizabeth, Treg and Danielle. "They have sacrificed so much in allowing me to pursue my passion for coaching," he said. "They have been unbelievably supportive. They made wins more exciting and losses less painful, and without them I wouldn't be the person I am today. I hope they are as proud of me as I am of them." Smith also credited his assistant coaches over the years. "Obviously a head coach is only as good as the assistants that are in the program," he said. "I consider them family. It's no wonder our young meant have been successful in basketball and the game of life. They have sacrificed time with their family to work with our young men and make them better basketball players and people." Smith's career was acknowledged throughout the area as well on Monday among other coaches. "Mike and I have had some legendary chess matches against one another that I'm going to greatly miss," said Western Reserve head coach Chris Sheldon, who faced Smith head-to-head 38 times over the past 19 seasons. Sheldon has the second-most FC victories (216) behind Smith all-time. "Playing St. Paul will never get old when you dawn the blue and white, but I'm going miss seeing him down at the other end of the floor, knowing he is giving me his best," Sheldon said. "I'll never forget how Smitty was the first guy that would always help me out with answering questions, sharing film and just lending an ear to a young coach 20 years ago when he didn't have to. "That ultimately made an impression on me that I'll never be able to thank him enough for." One of Smith's closest friends in coaching was current Willard assistant Dave Hirschy, who also had head coaching stops in Plymouth (1988-90), Bucyrus (1996-99) and Willard (2009-13). "Mike was one of the most dedicated coaches I've ever known," Hirschy said. "His meticulous methods and attention to detail made me better as a coach. He never took short cuts, nor cheated the game. My wife once asked me, 'Why do you watch five games on an opponent when you really only need to watch one or two?' "My response was because I know Smitty had probably watched six," he added. "Mike was cutting edge on film break down, and that made us all in the coaching fraternity much better. He was simply the hardest working coach I've ever known." Added Fremont St. Joseph Central Catholic head coach Jon Will, "Mike was one of the first people that reached out to me in my first year of coaching. I always enjoyed competing against his teams, which were a reflection of him and his hard work. We'll miss coach against Mike." Perhaps fittingly, Smith announced his retirement the same day his youngest daughter, Danielle (1,138 points), was named an All-Ohioan for a third and final time. "Mike has been able to coach his two sons and watch his two daughters play the sport that he loves," Livengood said. "He has dedicated countless hours to our school and he never leaves a stone unturned in his preparation. "Mike has also served as a great mentor to his coaching staff and other coaches around our area," he added. "He has been a great example to all of us. St. Paul will be forever grateful for his dedication to our school community. We wish him well in his retirement." Smith also thanks the hundreds of players that have gone through the program during his tenure. "St. Paul basketball has been built on the backs of so many hard-working young men," he said. "I take great comfort and pride in knowing that being hard-working, tough, dedicated, humble and coachable are all attributes that will carry you on to being successful people, husbands and fathers. "I thank (those) guys from the bottom of my heart," he added. "It's been a great, fun ride. One I will never forget." ------------------------------Mike Smith career glance — 411-327 record in 32 seasons (1990-2021) — 52-32 Division IV tournament record — 4 Firelands Conference championships — 17 sectional championships — 3 district championships (1996-98) — 3 district runners-up (2009, 2010, 2021) — 1 regional championship (1997) — 2 regional runners-up (1996, 1998) — FC Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 2020) — OHSBCA District 6 Coach of the Year (1996, 1997, 2017) — AP Northwest District Coach of the Year (1998) — AP All-Ohio Coach of the Year (1998)