A winner all the way around


Often, life doesn't seem fair. With the passing of Orrville basketball coaching legend Steve Smith Sunday, one of the good guys was taken from us. At age 59, most would say that's far too young, but what counts is what you do with the time you have on this earth, and in the case of Smith, he did plenty. Not that Smitty was a saint, far from it. He had his faults, just like the rest of us. What he also had, though, was a gift to motivate young people, to get the best out of them, and to turn them into men. His hall of fame credentials, his three state championships, his coach of the year awards, his stack of impressive wins and records, all pale in comparison to the impact he had on the youth of Orrville. The stories are many of how his tough love made the difference, not just in the game of basketball, but in the game of life. One minute he could come down on a player like a ruthless dictator, the next show them the love that maybe they didn't get at home. He was caustic, he was funny. He was intense, he was free-spirited. He was sarcastic, he was as serious as as a Steve Smith coaching in a state championship game. He taught the Red Riders how to be better, how to succeed, how to have pride, to take responsibility for themselves and for their actions. He changed a community's focus, a community's perception of what excellence is, and what it takes to achieve that excellence. He showed that you can fail, but when you do, you have to get back up and fight. He did that himself until the day he died, fighting the disease which was slowly taking his life, and teaching us all the way. He didn't win that game, but he won the one that counts the one where you leave your mark on the world, making it, and the people you touch in it, all the better for having met you. The buzzer has sounded, Steve Smith. The crowd is going wild. You didn't lose. You won again!

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