Joel Norris (left) and Willie Smith have been a dynamic duo in the press box for what seems a lifetime. (David Svien photo)
And now, the end is near
And so, I face the final curtain
My friend, I’ll say it clear
I’ll state my case, of which I’m certain
I’ve lived a life that’s full
In the afterglow of Friday night’s football game between Coupeville and visiting Annie Wright, the transcendent voice of Frank Sinatra crackled from the speakers, each word carrying across the prairie.
Upstairs in the press box, a lone figure remained, as Willie Smith tidied up, while below the Wolf faithful celebrated a 51-6 victory.
The driving force of CHS athletics for the past three decades is no longer the school’s athletic director, having retired from the position after last season.
I traveled each and every highway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
Smith is still teaching, at least for one more year, possibly two, and remains the peppiest man in the empire.
Friday night, possibly for the final time, he was on the mic, offering hot takes and frequent jokes, and spinning the hits, from the Backstreet Boys to AC/DC, Ozzy to John Denver.
He and scoreboard operator/cookie maker extraordinaire Joel Norris have been a constant in the booth since before I returned to covering prep sports full-time in 2012.
From the little wooden box full of bees (some dead, many alive) to the current cushier surroundings (if you ignore the annoying post in the middle of the press box window), Willie Smith’s voice has been the soundtrack to Friday Night Lights for a generation.
Regrets, I’ve had a few
But then again, too few to mention
I did what I had to do
And saw it through without exemption
He missed one game most seasons, thanks to the lure of hunting season, but otherwise rocked the mic at almost every step of the way.
Whether jabbing the student section for not being properly enthused during early season games, leading the charge on “and that’s a Wolf FIRST DOWN!!” or going introspective with his immortal call of “Balls … balls … balls,” Willie Smith is Coupeville football.
I planned each charted course
Each careful step along the byway
And more, much more than this
I did it my way
But now, he says this might be it, and talks of handing off the mic to a successor, perhaps as soon as the next home game.
The new guy may be a legend in the making. Could become the voice of his own generation.
But he won’t be Willie.
Time moves on, and the final link in the holy trinity of Coupeville coaches who I came up with during my early days of Whidbey sports reporting may be joining Ron Bagby and Randy King on the sidelines.
If so, it will take some getting used to.
Will the new guy segue from Miley Cyrus to Cypress Hill to Guns ‘n Roses without skipping a beat?
Will he bring candy to the press box as we inch closer to Halloween?
No, this is super important. WILL HE BRING CANDY TO THE PRESS BOX????
And will he gaze out across a fog-swept prairie, impish grin on his face, after coming up with the perfect call at a moment’s notice, tip back his water bottle, then tell us, “I am on fire tonight, boys!!”
We can only hope.
Yes, there were times, I’m sure you knew
When I bit off more than I could chew
But through it all, when there was doubt
I ate it up and spit it out
I faced it all, and I stood tall
And did it my way
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