Willie Smith, best dressed athletic director in the state? (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
One more year in the gym, but with a lot less stress.
Willie Smith, the last of a “trinity” of longtime Coupeville High School/Middle School coaches/teachers/admins, is moving towards joining former compatriots Ron Bagby and Randy King on the sidelines.
He plans to teach one more year of PE but will step down as Athletic Director at the end of this school year.
That will put a cap on Smith’s second run as Coupeville’s AD, which began in 2016. He previously held the position from 2005-2010.
After arriving from Sequim in 1994, Smith has been actively involved in Wolf athletics at every level for the past three decades.
As a coach, he led the girls’ varsity basketball program from 1994-2000, advancing to state twice and earning the school’s first-ever big dance win for a girls’ team in any sport.
Smith also was a CHS football assistant coach from 1995-2011, ran the middle school program for three years, and put in 19 years at the helm of the Wolf varsity baseball team.
Coaching back when baseball guys wore stirrups, like God intended. (Shelli Trumbull photo)
During his AD stints, he set a high standard for his coaches and programs, with both high school and middle school teams collecting a wide range of awards, trophies, honors, and praise from rivals.
He has led CHS through life in both the 1A and 2B classifications, guided transitions through numerous leagues, and was a resolute leader during the pandemic.
Currently the Northwest 2B/1B League president, Smith is known and respected throughout the state.
Last year, right after CHS sports teams earned three academic state titles, on the heels of football and baseball advancing to state for the first time in decades, the AD position was put in jeopardy.
A list of proposed budget cuts included taking Smith’s admin duties away and giving them to an already overworked assistant principal.
The uproar was deafening.
In a very short time, school district officials were hammered from all sides, with numerous AD’s, coaches, fans, parents, and athletes – former and current – speaking out on his behalf.
The proposed cut was removed long before the final budget was approved by school board members.
Without skipping a beat, Smith continued to merrily chug along, doing what he has always done for three decades plus — put his athletes, coaches, and students first.
The Wazzu super fan has never been about the glitz and glamour or tooting his own horn.
Few realize how much time and effort he has put in, or how complicated the AD job is, especially in the modern world where cell phones make sure you can always be reached.
Taking a real vacation, or simply spending time with wife Cherie, is hard, as everyone with a question — including yours truly — is always looking for his calm answer.
There’s a rumor he once sat on a tree stump during a hunting trip, watching elk wander by and stick their tongues out at him, while he talked everyone through a football-related meltdown back at home.
Which goes a long way to explaining why now is the time for Smith to step aside and let a new generation live and die by the email tsunami.
Grandpa’s coming home. (Photo by JohnsPhotos.net)
“I’ve got five grandchildren I need to see,” he said.
“I’ve been coaching or involved on a direct basis with sports for 30 years here in Coupeville, and before that in Sequim.
“I have truly enjoyed it, but I’ve got other things to do.
“Need to figure out what that it is,” he chuckled. “But it’s time.”
Coupeville Sports 
I do want to start with (with all sincerity from one of his children) that he has the worst fashion sense ever so I completely disagree with the best dress statement! Haha
But as someone who grew up in the gym with and watched the state tournaments with Coach Smith I can tell you that he is one of those special coaches that inspired players to have that same passion and love for the game that he had. One of the stories we tease him about is about a poor clipboard that didn’t make it through one tournament because it broke into two (somehow) after an alleged bad foul call. Or about the various headsets that didn’t make through the football games without breaking where Coach Smith was defensive coordinator. And we may tease him now about it, but I can tell you that from a players experience having a Coach that was fully dedicated is an incredible thing.
And once I had the opportunity to play for Coach Smith, and not just watch from the stands, it did not disappoint. He still had that passion (maybe a bit muted from the early clipboard days) that inspired me to do my best. And what’s important to know too if you have never got the chance to play for Coach Smith, is that he has never lost the aspect that the game should be FUN. And I will always appreciate that more than anything else.
To wrap things up since this is a comment and not the article itself, I know that Coupeville sports will miss one of the best coaches and one of the best ADs they have had. And for me… I am lucky enough to keep on with one of the best dads out there!
Love you dad!