Clover Plucks Smith from Green Wave

Clover High School Blue Eagles football fans may consider themselves lucky.

The school district sifted through more than 50 applicants from 17 states, but one name kept cropping back up — Chad Smith.

Plucked from a small town in Pickens County, Clover High school administrators hope the Easley Green Wave coach will bring good fortune to the Blue Eagles' football program.

“Based on those conversations and our experiences with his team during scrimmages with us, we reached out to him and are looking forward to what he will do with our program,” said principal Mark Hopkins.

Smith, who had been named Easley's head coach in January 2010, officially resigned Monday to take the same position at Clover High School in York County. Smith replaces John Barrett, who served as Clover’s interim coach after John Devine abruptly resigned four games into the 2012 season. Smith will begin work in the district Jan. 21.

According to data collected last year by The State newspaper through the Freedom of Information Act, the move to Clover could mean a significant pay increase for Smith. The database said Devine made a base salary of $67,425 and also received a $10,000 supplement. Barrett received a base salary of $62,304 and a $7,000 supplement.

Smith's salary at Easley High was not recorded, as the data includes individuals whose teaching or base salary is greater than $50,000.

In three seasons at Easley, Smith compiled a 29-9 record with three consecutive playoff appearances. It was a first for an Easley football program that was 1-21 in the two years prior to Smith taking control.

But Smith's work hasn't come without challenges. In the 2012 season alone, there was a great sense of pride, but also a very real feeling of loss. While the Green Wave finished the 2012 season with a 9-3 record and made it to the first round of the high school playoffs, the team was dealing with two very tragic events — the murder of Easley JV football player Daniel Smith and the brutal slaying of second team member's grandparents. And Smith, along with his staff, was there to coach them through it.

“We are saddened by the news that Chad Smith will be leaving EHS to accept a job at Clover High School," said Dr. Tim Mullis, principal of Easley High. "Chad has done a great job not only bringing excitement back to EHS Football, but also building character in the young men that he has coached. He will be missed at EHS but we wish him continued success in his future endeavors.”

Now, Smith is faced with the challenge of rebuilding the Blue Eagles' program after a hazing incident that led to the dismissal of 10 players and at least two lawsuits, the resignation of Devine and two disappointing seasons.

Smith told members of the media during a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Clover that it was what he saw during a scrimmage between Easley and Clover last summer that helped him in making the choice to join the Clover staff.

“Despite what the program had gone through, the community was still there, still present and treated us wonderfully when we were here," Smith said. "I knew this place was special. I want to be a part of that and I want to be able to lead that. Clover has so much to offer.”

Smith said he will look to the community for support, as he rebuilds the program that had made it to post-season play for eight consecutive years, beginning in 2002. See the team's year-by-year stats.

“I’ll be very involved and I want everyone to understand this program is about a lot more than Chad Smith,” Smith said. “This is the Clover football program; this is the Clover football family. We’re going to embrace the community and I want them to take ownership of our football program again.”

In 2011, Smith was named Upper State AAAA Coach of the Year by the South Carolina Coaches Association. A 1997 graduate of Pickens High School, Smith went on to play football at Concord College in West Virginia. He and his wife Hannah have three boys: Hunter (7), Ashton (5), and Shepherd (3), with another boy, Bennett, due this month.