Mike Smith

Head Coach

 

 

Coach Smith has been with the Saline Cross Country program since 1977.  From 1977 until 1993 Coach Smith coached both the girls’ and the boys’ teams.  Then in 1993 as the number of athletes in the cross country program continued to grow, the program was split into separate boys’ and girls’ teams.  At that point Coach Smith became the girls’ coach, and Tom Frederick became the head coach of the boys’ team.

 

Coach Smith began his teaching and coaching career at Grass Lake High School in 1971, and then moved on to Saline in the fall of 1977.  During his tenure at Saline, he taught English and A.P. American History for 28 years; and after retiring from the classroom in 2005, he has continued in his role as the head coach for the girls’ cross country and track programs.  His wife, Mary, also was a teacher at Saline and has served as an “unofficial” assistant coach in the cross country program for a number of years.  Coach and “Mrs. Coach” have three children:  Travis, who lives with his wife in Los Angeles; Ryan, who resides in Prague in the Czech Republic with his wife and daughter; and Megan, a recent UM graduate who is currently in nursing school.

 

Coach Smith’s running career stretches back to his days in Middle School and High School (Napoleon) where he was a middle distance runner.  He continued his running career at the University of Michigan where he was a member of the track team.  Coach Smith has completed a number of marathons in his career, including Detroit and Boston.

 

Coach Smith’s comment:  “It’s been a great experience to watch the Saline Cross Country program expand and evolve over the years.  We are proud of our traditions and our success.  Over the past four decades, the coaches and the athletes have worked hard to make “Saline Cross Country” and “Saline Distance Running” synonymous with hard work, dedication, and teamwork.”