Remon Smith of Houston, Texas, has been named 2023 Coach of the Year by MileSplit. Photo credit: Klein Forest High School

It is always my pleasure to share news about an outstanding educator and coach who has earned recognition for their work with young people. Remon Smith, a coach in Texas, is one of these. He has been named the 2023 Coach of the Year by MileSplit.

At Klein Forest High School in Houston, Remon teaches physical education and leads instruction in credit recovery, and he coaches boys track and field. His athletic program is highly successful. In fact, his teams have managed to garner two state titles over four years—in 2023 and 2019—and his athletes finished a respectable third place in 2022.

Remon’s success as a coach follows his own personal success as a student athlete. At Randolph-Macon College, Remon lettered in football four years. When he graduated, he was named the All-Time Leading Collegiate Rusher for the State of Virginia, and he was named to the All-American Team. With a record like that, it is no surprise that he was inducted into the Randolph-Macon College Sports Hall of Fame in 2019.

The honored coach shares the philosophy which led to his selection as Coach of the Year. “The key to a successful coaching career is making your athletes understand ‘we must make the uncomfortable comfortable,'” he declares, “and they will do what others are unwilling to do. I also teach my athletes the training process because, in high school, it’s more about teaching than coaching,” he continues. “The advice I would give a new coach is always to make sure the kids know you care about them more than any athletic outcome,” he declares. “Once an athlete knows you care, there is no limit to how much effort they will put in.”

MileSplit, founded in 2000, is the nation’s premier network for high school track and field and cross country. In addition to his honor from MileSplit, Ramon was also named the 6A Track and Field Coach of the Year by the Prairie View Interscholastic League Coaches Association.