Smith Appointed To East Carolina Football Staff
December 13, 2004 | Football
GREENVILLE, N.C. - Wardell "Junior" Smith has been named running backs coach at East Carolina University according to an announcement from head football coach Skip Holtz Monday.
Smith, who currently ranks as the Pirates' all-time leading rusher with 3,745 yards and was a three-time All-America performer during his four-year playing career from 1991 to 1994, returns to East Carolina after one-year stint as running backs coach at Louisiana-Monroe.
In addition to guiding the Indians' rushing attack, Smith also served as ULM's punt team coordinator, video and professional scout liaison for head coach Charlie Weatherbie.
"We couldn't have brought a better role model and person of high character and class back to East Carolina University," said Holtz. "From a recruiting standpoint, Junior will certainly bring our staff and program a wealth of ECU and eastern North Carolina knowledge. He was a great student and athlete and obviously knows what it takes to succeed here."
Prior to joining the Louisiana-Monroe staff, Smith spent four seasons as running backs coach at Army beginning in 2000. He also handled various special teams assignments and handled the Black Knights' recruiting efforts in North Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and Washington, D.C. In 1998 and 1999, Smith coached running backs at Illinois State where he helped the Redbirds to a combined two-year record of 19-7 and a pair of NCAA Division I-AA playoff appearances.
Prior to accepting his first full-time job at ISU, Smith served as a graduate assistant in ECU's Athletic Student Development Office in 1997, where he was responsible for designing academic schedules, monitoring student academic progress and coordinating the Pirates' faculty guest coaching program.
Smith enjoyed an illustrious playing career at East Carolina, posting three consecutive 1,000-yard rushing and nine touchdown seasons in 1992 (1,037), 1993 (1,352) and 1994 (1,204). He recorded 16 triple-digit rushing efforts and was a top 10 candidate for the 1994 Doak Walker Award. In addition to this three honorable mention selections as a Football News All-America performer, Smith was a three-time All-South Independent pick.
In the classroom, Smith was honored as the recipient of the 1994 St. Jude Liberty Bowl Scholar-Athlete Award and the 1995 Texas-Gulf Phosphate Outstanding Male Scholar-Athlete Award.
Upon the completion of his collegiate career, Smith played professionally with the Shreveport Pirates and Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League in 1995 and 1996.
Smith earned his bachelor's degree in exercise and sports science from East Carolina in May, 1997.
Smith is the fourth official hire for the newly-appointed Holtz, joining defensive line coach Donnie Thompson, offensive line coach Steve Shankweiler and offensive assistant coach Phil Petty on the Pirates' staff.
