Capital University

No stranger to central Ohio and OAC football, Dave Smith will take on his second stint on the Capital football coaching staff as the running backs coach beginning in the 2021 calendar year. 

A 1977 graduate of the University of Mount Union, Smith has spent the past 40 plus years living, teaching, and coaching football in the central Ohio area. For 37 years, Smith taught at Westerville City Schools as a physical and health education teacher. During those years as teacher, Smith spent a number of years in various coaching positions at the high school and collegiate level, including a two year stay on the Capital football staff from 2005 to 2007. 

Smith's coaching history runs deep in the greater Columbus area as he has coached at Walnut Springs Middle School, Westerville Central and South High Schools, Reynoldsburg High School, and at nearby Otterbein University. 

Smith is very familiar with football in the Ohio Athletic Conference as he played four years under legendary head coach Larry Kehres at national powerhouse Mount Union. During his time as a Purple Raider, he garnered two football letters and is a member of the Varsity "M' Club at Mount. 

Continuing on in the OAC, Smith spent two separate stints serving as an assistant coach for crosstown foe Otterbein.  His first spell with the Cardinals saw him work various positions from 1996 to 2002. After serving a couple of years out of the collegiate game, Smith returned to the OAC as he took an assistant coaching position with the Crusaders from '05 to '07. Once his time in Bexley was up, Smith returned to the Cardinals in Westerville from 2009 until 2017. 

During his lengthy coaching history, Smith has coached three All-Americans, and numerous All-Conference players at the collegiate level, including Capital alum Kive Kraft and Dylan Kelly. Most recently, Smith mentored 2014 second team All-OAC running back Reid Hutchison on the Otterbein sidelines. 

Smith's connection to the current Capital coaching staff runs deep as he served as current head coach, Brian Foos' position coach at Otterbein from 1998 until 2001. Smith was Foos' offensive line coach with the Cardinals. Many years later in 2017, Smith found himself on the opposite sideline as Foos coaching against him as Otterbein faced off Foos' then team Baldwin Wallace University. 

A native of Rocky River, Ohio, Smith currently resides in Westerville with his wife Marianne. He has two children; Katie and Matt. Dave holds a Master of Education degree from Bowling Green State University, which he earned in 1978.