Coach Doug Smith honored
Mayor Paul Harvey presents ACHS head football coach Doug Smith with a plaque
at Monday’s town council meeting.
 Rusty Carter

Doug Smith has assembled a football juggernaut off U.S. 460 as head coach at Appomattox County High School, where he has won three consecutive Class 2 state championships. That success brought Smith to Monday’s Appomattox Town Council, where he was honored during a special presentation.

“It’s an award for our community, and it’s neat to see Appomattox being recognized,” Smith noted in brief remarks. His appearance at the event was equally brief. After accepting the honor, Mayor Paul Harvey dismissed Smith so he could return to football practice.

Smith’s resume reveals a breadth of experience. This fall is his sixth at Appomattox. Previous stops include more than 19 years at Heritage High School, which included three years as head coach. Prior to Heritage, Smith spent almost five years at William Campbell High, and nearly two years as an assistant at Liberty University. Along the way he earned a Bachelor’s Degree from Liberty and later, a Master’s Degree in Leadership at Lynchburg College.

The honors heaped upon Smith come close to rivaling his success on the field. In December 2016 he was honored as the U.S. Cellular Coach of the Year, a title he shared with Allan Trimble, a high school coach in Oklahoma. The accolades were bestowed upon both men during the second quarter of the Under Armour All-America Game, televised nationally from Orlando via ESPN.

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