Jay to honor Smith by naming gym in his honor

John Clarence Smith already has his name etched in the history books at Jay High School for his many years of service to the school and on Thursday, Jan. 27, friends, family members, former students and more will gather inside the gymnasium to officially dedicate and name the school's gym as the 'John Clarence Smith Gymnasium'.

Smith, 96, was a 40-year educator in Santa Rosa County and spent 36 years at Jay High School as the head basketball coach among other duties.

At Jay, Smith's teams won 613 games and he was inducted into the Florida High School Athletics Associations' Hall of fame as a charter member in 1991.

Lance Youngblood, who played basketball for Coach Smith and replaced him as the Royals' head basketball coach in 1989, said the honor of naming the gym after Smith is long overdue.

Youngblood, a 1978 graduate of Jay High School, played basketball with Smith at the helm.

"He had old school ways that you didn't appreciate then, but you appreciate now," Youngblood said of playing under Smith. "He let you be a kid, so he also understood that aspect of the game and life."

After graduating from Jay, Youngblood attended the University of West Florida in Pensacola and while in college he said Smith called him saying he was short of coaches and needed some help.

"So I came back and helped him," Youngblood said. "It was a great experience. I learned a lot about coaching basketball instead of playing basketball. I always looked up to him."

After graduating from college, Youngblood returned to Jay and helped Smith coach basketball, and in 1989 he was named head basketball coach.

"After I became the head coach I kept calling him," Youngblood said. "I'd ask him for advice on what I needed to do. He enjoyed Jay High School so much and wanted Jay to be successful at everything."

Youngblood said in 1972 the principal at the high school went to Smith and told him they didn't have a football coach. He said Smith agreed to coach football for the Royals for one year.

Youngblood also said Smith was very involved in the Jay community and coached Little League baseball for years and led a Little League team to the state championship.

"He invested himself into the community," Youngblood said of Smith. "He would do anything he could to help someone become a better player or person."

The ceremony to name the gym will be held between the varsity girls' and varsity boys' basketball game on Jan. 27, sometime between 6:45 and 7:15 p.m.

Coach Smith and his family will be present for the dedication.

Jay Principal Benji West said there will be a meet and greet time in the cafeteria beginning at 5 p.m.

"During the ceremony we will invite all former players onto the gym floor for the recognition," West said. "We will group them by decades with all players from the 50s, 60s, 70s and 80s standing together."

West said Dr. C. David Smith, retired Coach Terry Diamond and 1973 Jay graduate Bruce Godwin brought the request to the school to name the gym in Smith's honor and the Santa Rosa County School Board approved the request on a 5-0 vote.

Terry Diamond credits Smith for drawing him into coaching, where he spent 21 years as the head baseball coach at Jay.

Diamond said Smith coached him in Little League baseball and was his junior high football coach.

"I can't tell you how many years I played for him," Diamond said.

Diamond said he graduated from Jay High School in 1966.

"He called me and said he was looking for an assistant basketball coach and an assistant football coach around 1970 or 71," Diamond said. "I went to talk to the principal and it was a done deal."

Diamond, like Youngblood, said Smith had and still has an impact on his life.

"He was probably the most competitive person I ever knew," Diamond said. "He hated to lose, but he made sure winning was done within the rules. There were no shortcuts. But he wouldn't tolerate losing. He's the reason I stayed in coaching."

Diamond recalled when Smith became the head football coach in 1972.

He said after an 0-9 season the previous coach was dismissed and Principal Haynes Brabham had searched but couldn't find a coach.

"The principal called the coaching staff together and explained he couldn't find a football coach and explained the situation," Diamond said. "I think he was seeking volunteers and we all pointed to Clarence because we knew he could do it."

Smith accepted the job on the condition that it would be for only one year. Smith led the Royals to a 4-6 season in his one year as a coach.

"He knew a lot about football, but he also knew a lot about people," Diamond said. "He could have been a great football coach."

Diamond joined Youngblood in saying naming the gym in Smith's honor was long overdue.

"What people don't understand is that he was a great teacher," Diamond said. "Anybody he taught history to, still knows that history."

West noted at the time of Smith's retirement he was the winningest boys basketball coach in the state of Florida.

Smith graduated from Jay High School in 1944 and within a few days reported to boot camp with the Army. On Dec. 9, 1944, Smith landed in France with the 42nd Rainbow Division of the Army to begin defending the United States in World War II.

Smith still lives across the street from the Jay High School girls softball field and has remained a familiar face in Jay for many years.