EASLEY — The man who put Easley High School football back on the map is going to be trying his hand at resurrecting another program.

Chad Smith, a Pickens High School graduate who took over the Easley program in January 2010, was announced as the new head coach at Clover High School on Tuesday afternoon.

Clover was winless in 2012 after head coach John Devine resigned in September.
Smith engineered a remarkable turnaround during his three-year stay at Easley after the Green Wave finished a combined 1-21 in the two seasons prior to his hiring.

As head coach, Smith led Easley to three consecutive playoff appearances and a 29-9 overall record, including an 11-win season in 2011 and a 9-3 mark in 2012.
Easley athletic director Chris Carter, who hired Smith in 2010, said it will be tough to find a replacement to live up to the successes Smith achieved.

“I am so thankful for the opportunity to work with Chad,” Carter said. “He is a great young football coach but even a better person. We had three wonderful seasons under his leadership, and it is hard to realize a future without him.
“I wish him all the best life has to offer. He is a dear friend and I will truly miss him.”

EHS principal Dr. Tim Mullis said that Smith’s impact was felt off the field as well as on it.

“We are saddened by the news that Chad Smith will be leaving EHS to accept a job at Clover High School,” Mullis said. “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.”

After graduating from Pickens in 1997, where he played as an offensive lineman, Smith played college football at Concord College in West Virginia.
Prior to coming to Easley, Smith was head coach at Northern Nash High School in Rocky Mount, N.C., where he posted a 2-20 record in two seasons.