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Conway coach forced out; LR Christian’s resigns
BY ROBERT YATES ARKANSAS DEMOCRAT-GAZETTE

The winningest coach in Conway history is being reassigned, while the man who led Little Rock Christian to its greatest season is retiring from coaching.
The central Arkansas high school coaching landscape was shaken Monday when Conway’s Kenny Smith and Little Rock Christian’s Johnny Watson announced they would not return next season.
Conway’s search is just beginning after Smith, 58, said he was asked to resign by Conway Athletic Director Buzz Bolding on Tuesday.
Smith submitted a letter of resignation the following morning and informed his team of the decision Monday afternoon, ending an 18-season run at his alma mater, the third-longest coaching stint in Class 7A.
“I am thankful to the Lord that I didn’t have to do this Wednesday or Thursday,” Smith said. “We were out of school Thursday and Friday, and that was just a blessing because emotionally I couldn’t have handled it those days. I’ve had five days to toughen up.
“The worst thing was telling those kids and then hugging them.”
Smith led the Wampus Cats to a 129-75 record, six conference championships and a runner-up finish in Class AAAA in 1993.
But the Wampus Cats haven’t had a winning season since Parade All-America fullback Peyton Hillis was a senior in 2003.
Conway finished 2-8 this fall, its worst record since 1986.
“We felt like we need to go in another direction,” said Bolding, who coached the Wampus Cats from 1984-1990.
Bolding said Conway would begin advertising the position this morning in hopes of naming Smith’s replacement at the school board’s Jan. 13 meeting.
Only Little Rock Central’s Bernie Cox (34 seasons) and Cabot’s Mike Malham (28 seasons) have more tenure at the same 7A school than Smith, who called Conway his “dream job.”
Smith was an offensive lineman on Conway’s 1964 team that finished 11-0 and ranked No. 1 overall by The Associated Press and was captain as a senior in 1966.
Smith returned to Conway as an assistant in 1984 before succeeding Bolding in 1991.
Smith also was a highly successful track and field coach at Conway, highlighted by a Class AAAA state championship in 1989.
“No one bleeds Wampus Cat blue any more than Coach Smith,” Superintendent Greg Murry said in a statement released Monday afternoon. “Our district and our community appreciate all that he has done to bring pride to our football program. We wish him the very best as he begins a new chapter in his professional career.”
Smith said his new position with the district hasn’t been determined, but added he hopes “to still be a Wampus Cat.”
“The painful part is you gave it everything you had, because of the passion and love for something,” said Smith, who survived a cancer scare in the summer of 2005. “I’ve never had a divorce. It may be like that. I was blessed to be able to do it. Not everybody gets to do what is their ultimate goal.”

I heard about that yesterday. It's just one of those things. Coach Smith did well for years in his role as head coach, but it seems like he's run out of gas the last three years. Maybe that cancer scare took something out of him. I wish him well in what ever capacity he serves in the future.