Legendary St. Thomas Aquinas football coach, AD George Smith retiring at end of year
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George Smith spent nearly half a century turning St. Thomas Aquinas into a national powerhouse, both as a football coach and athletic director. Now he’s finally stepping away.
Smith is retiring at the end of the school year, the Raiders announced in a press release.
“For almost 50 years as teacher, coach, and AD, George Smith has set the highest of goals for athletes, coaches and all of Raider athletics,” principal Denise Aloma said in a statement. “His leadership and commitment provided the platforms to consistently surpass those goals. His selfless, tireless, extradentary contribution to the success of the program is etched in the halls of STA. The hearts and minds of all of us blessed to have known him are strengthened.”
Smith spent the past 39 years as the athletic director and oversaw 111 state championships and 13 national titles. Football has always been the crown jewel, though, and Smith is the godfather of one of the winningest programs in the country.
He first arrived at St. Thomas Aquinas in 1972 as a history and physical education teacher, and he founded the wrestling program at the school, serving as coach until 1978. In 1975, Smith took over as football coach and spent 33 years turning the Raiders into a national brand. St. Thomas Aquinas went 361-66 with 18 district crowns, eight undefeated regular seasons, six state championships and 13 appearances in the title game. He’s the third winningest coach in Florida history and sent 30 players on to the NFL.
After Smith stepped down, the Raiders remained one of the top programs in the state. St. Thomas Aquinas won six more state titles with Smith as the athletic director and surpassed Jacksonville Bolles for the most championships in Florida High School Athletic Association history last year.
Smith is a member of the Broward County Sports Hall of Fame, the Florida Athletic Coaches Association Hall of Fame, the Florida High School Athletic Association Hall of Fame and the namesake of the Miami Dolphins’ George Smith Coach of the Year Award, handed out annually to the top high school football coach in South Florida.
Nearly every one of St. Thomas Aquinas’ teams won a state title under his watch and another one can join the list Saturday when the Raiders play in the Class 6A girls’ basketball championship in Lakeland.
