Harrison Head Coach Spends Time at Falcons Clinic

High school football coaches are a determined bunch and they proved it on April 15. Despite severe thunderstorms and the threat of a tornado, several hundred high school football coaches from all over Georgia showed up for Mike Smith's fourth annual coaching clinic.

The Falcons third-year head coach – who recruited the Atlanta area while coaching at Tennessee Tech during the late 80's and early 90's – invited all GHSA coaches to Flowery Branch Friday for the four-hour clinic.

Among those who attended the free clinic was the coaching staff at , a contingent that included head coach David Hines, a big fan of the Smith's event. "This is our second year coming to the event," Hines says. "Last year it was spectacular."

Hines also said he's impressed with the way Smith relates to coaches on the high school level, "Mike Smith is very open to the high school coaches and you can tell he really wants to help."

For Smith, it's a way for him to give back to the local coaches, many of whom he's familiar with thanks to his 11 years recruiting the Atlanta area while at Tennessee Tech. "It's something as a coach I felt that I always wanted to give back to your fraternity brothers," Smith says. "Whether your coaching at the high school level, college level, or the NFL, you're in this very close-knit fraternity."

Hines echoed Smith's close-knit sentiment, "I think it's great for football [that the Falcons bring all the Georgia coaches under one roof]," the Hoya coach says. "I think it's great for the state of Georgia and I think it shows what a close, tight-knit community the coaches here have."

Hines brought his entire staff to the clinic and he expects all of them will learn at least one new thing, "You always pick up something from every clinic you go to," Hines says. "All of our coaches are here and they'll all bring something back with them."

Learning one knew thing is exactly Smith hopes each coach gets out of the clinic, "I hope anytime you go to a clinic that you take at least take one nugget back," Smith explains. "Hopefully they'll take a number of nuggets in terms of knowledge of the game, not only about "X's" and "O's", but some things philosophically."

Besides Smith, coaches were treated to speeches and film sessions put on by Georgia State coach Bill Curry, former Cincinnati Bengals offensive coordinator and current Falcons quarterbacks coach Bob Bratkowski and UGA defensive coordinator Todd Grantham.

Smith thinks the clinic is a great way to give back to the coaching community, "We want to give back to the high schools and the high school coaches are really at the core of setting the foundation for football players," Smith says. "I think it's very important that we can interact with them and let them know how important their jobs are, in not only developing football players, but developing good, solid citizens."