Players, community react to resignation of Conway High School coach

By Levi Gilbert and Tammy Keith

LITTLE ROCK — Current and former players expressed their sadness and in some cases disbelief after the announcement that longtime Conway Wampus Cat coach Kenny Smith, 58, will no longer lead the football team.

Smith, who has been headcoach for 18 years and in the Conway School District for 25 years, said he was asked to resign Nov. 11 after he returned from a 7Acoaches’ meeting in Russellville. Athletic Director Buzz Bolding gave Smith the news.

“I was asked to resign, and I did so with regrets,” Smith said, adding that he was surprised by the move.

Conway Superintendent Dr. Greg Murry said it was an “administrative decision,” not a school board decision. Murry declined to say whether Smith’s record in recent years, including this year’s 2-8 season, was the reason.

“We felt like it was in the best interest of the district to go in a new direction,” Murry said.

Smith said he told his players the news on Monday.

Seniors Will Schichtl and Ivan Mendoza played for Smith the past three years.

Mendoza said, “I personally thought it was harsh to Coach Smith. He taught me so manythings. I just couldn’t believe he was going to [resign].”

Schichtl echoed Mendoza’s thoughts.

“I waskind of shocked when I found out,” Schichtl said. “He’s been around for so long. We’ve had a couple of bad seasons the past few years, but he was still a good coach. He’s the one that gave me a chance to play, and he’s helped make me the player I am now.”

Mendoza, a fullback for the Wampus Cats, said the lessons he learned from Smith are lessons he could apply to all aspects of his life.

“He taught me to stay strong and never give up,” Mendoza said. “I learned to give it my best shot even when I’m losing. If I give it my best, eventually I will succeed.”

Mendoza said Smith told his players during a meeting to announce the change that it was an honor for him to be their football coach.

Schichtl, a defensive end for Conway, said Smith impressed upon him the importance of having heart.

“He always told us to go hard at whatever we do,” Schichtl said. “Our slogan for this year was to have heart, even when times were going bad.”

“Bless their hearts,” Smith said. “I got to hug them all. I like to hug - I’m a hugger,” he said. “I love every kid I’ve coached. My motto has always been I am allowed to work with somebody’s most precious possession, and I swear I believe that.”

Smith said he has been flattered by the many phone calls he's received, including one from University of Arkansas running backs coach Tim Horton, who played under Smith.

“He called me just blown back,” Smith said. “He said, ‘I still use stuff today you taught me.’”

Smith said Conway native Brett Shockley, offensive line coach at Ouachita Baptist University, “called me from OBU just crying.”

Carrie Hillis of Conway, the mother of Smith’s former player Peyton Hillis, now a Denver Broncos running back, was shocked at the news of Smith’s resignation.

“Kenny was a great coach to Peyton. Peyton respected him and loved him. But things change and people have to go on. He’s such a big part of the Wampus Cat history - it’s sad,” she said.

Peyton Hillis could not be reached for comment.

Smith said he was on a call-in radio show with Hillis Nov. 13 in Denver, just two days after he was asked to resign.

“I was the mystery guest, and we had a ball. They pick a Bronco a week, and it just happened to fall like that. That was all about Peyton; it was not about me. Peyton heard my voice and said, “That’s the man - he’s the greatest ever - I love him,’” Smith recalled. “I didn’t know you could say ‘I love you’ so many times as I’ve heard in the past few days.”

Smith said, “I hope I have had that effect” on second- and thirdstring players, not just starters.

“Coach Smith is one of the best motivators I’ve ever seen,” Bolding said. “That was his forte. He could get kids to run through buildings for him.

“He could always get his kids to commit. Those kids were committed to him, and there’s no telling how many kids that he’s had an impact on.”

Bolding said Smith’s defining moment at Conway was when he led the Wampus Cats to the 5A state championship game in 1993. Conway fell to Pine Bluff.

“Getting the kids to that championship level was big for this community,” Bolding said.

Smith, who started his coaching career in North Little Rock after graduating from the University of Central Arkansas with a degree in special education and physical education, succeeded Bolding in 1991.

The two have worked together since 1977 - Smith served as an assistant coach to Bolding at Magnolia, Cabot and Conway.

Smith’s overall record, according to a press release fromthe district, was 129-75. His teams have won six conference championships.

“I think we turned it around too quick,” Smith said. The former coach said if he had started with a 2-8 record instead of ending with it, he believes he would still be the head coach.

“Like Coach [Nolan] Richardson said, love him or hate him, he said, ‘If you build a monster, you’ve gotta feed it.’ I think we built a monster, and we just haven’t fed it the last couple of years,” Smith said. “Once you get people used to winning, you’ve built a monster.”

He also was the head track coach four years and during that time won 10 conference championships, was state runner-up three times and won a state championship.

Monty Rowell, manager of KUCA Radio, said Smith was the type of coach who always had his athletes’ best interests at heart.

Rowell covered Wampus Cat football from 1987-2006 on KCON 1230 AM, which is no longer in existence.

“No one bleeds that blue like Kenny Smith,” Rowell said, echoing a common description used for Smith. “He’s absolutely genuine. Make no mistake about it.”

Rowell complimented Smith’s willingness to help the media.

“I had a standing appointment every Thursday at 1 p.m. with Kenny during the football season for our coach’s show. I always looked forward to that interview. He was always blatantly honest, and he loved to promote Conway Wampus Cat athletics -not just football,” Rowell said.

“He was one of the easiest to work with around high school football,” Rowell said. “Anything you needed Kenny would provide because he saw the media as the conduit for promoting Conway High School athletics.

“Kenny was the best salesman when it came to scouts looking at his players. The players sold themselves with their talent, but Kenny would always do anything he could to help get those kids a scholarship,” Rowell added.

Dr. Terry Fiddler, who servedon the Conway School Board for 22 years, said, “I don’t think anybody has any more loyalty to the system. The old expression, he bleeds blue and white. I know Conway has fallen on hard times the last four or five years.”

Murry said Monday it had not been determined where Smith will be reassigned. His salary is $74,344.

“We’ll look at all of our options as far as Kenny is concerned,” Murry said. “If he chooses to go outside the district, that’s his decision, but wecertainly are not forcing him out of the district.” Murry said the position is being posted immediately, and school officials are hoping to have both in-state and out-ofstate applicants.

“It would be a great place for somebody to come and coach,” Murry said.

“Actually we hope to have somebody the second week of January and make a recommendation to the board,” Murry said.

Smith would not say whether he would stay in the Conway district, but said he won’t retire.

“I’ve got to have a job,” he said.

His wife, Diane, teaches English and has been in the Conway School District for 36 years, he said.

“It’s been tough on my family,” Smith said. He has a son, Preston, and a daughter, Margaret, both of whom live in Conway.

“Teaching and coaching is a calling,” he said.

“I just thank my lucky stars that I was raised by my mother who was as staunch a Southern Baptist as you’ve ever seen in your life. Believing in the Lord, I believe there’s a silver lining in all this,” Smith said.

Asked what he would do Tuesday morning, after the interview, he said, “I go up there and be around those kids and do what I’ve always done in the morning. I’ve got to face reality.

I’ve got some nice memorabilia in my office I’ve got to clean out.

That’s going to be hard.” And as he hung up the phone, the last thing he said was, “Go Cats !”

River Valley Ozark, Pages 65 on 11/20/2008