Bill Smith is one of those devotees of wrestling whose contribution to the sport can be too easily overlooked. It has been substantial. Bill retired in 2000 after thirty-five years of teaching in the Special Education Program of the Queensbury Schools. From 1967 to 2000 he also served as the Junior Varsity and Assistant Varsity Coach at Queensbury. During this time Hall of Fame member Jack La Bombard was the Head Coach at Queensbury and together they created a powerhouse of a program. Bill wonders whether any pair of coaches have been together at the same school for a longer period of time in New York State. In addition to Jack La Bombard, Bill cites Marty Sherman, coach at Corinth and current Section 2 chairman, as a major influence on his wrestling career. Bill began and developed the off-season Pee Wee Wrestling Program in the 1970s and 1980s at Queensbury School, and any good high school coach knows the value of a well-run development program for youngsters. Bill's JV teams were just as impressive, at that level, as were the Queensbury Varsity teams. They won league titles unofficially many times. He was named the Section 2 JV Coach of the Year in 1986, 1988, 1992 and 1994, and he is especially honored to have been named in a Proclamation from the Town of Queensbury Supervisors for his accomplishments as JV Coach. In 1997 Bill was recognized as the Section 2 Assistant Coach of the Year. When asked about his coaching career, Bill rattles off a list of successful Queensbury wrestlers and speaks of how lucky he was to be in the wrestling room with such talent. That kind of coaching attitude is beyond price. Bill also speaks of his great pleasure in being able to coach his three sons, Matthew, Douglas and Gregory, fur a total of eleven years. Matt and Doug have continued their involvement in wrestling by refereeing in Section 2 and Section 5. Perhaps the greatest testimony of Bill's contribution to high school wrestling is the group of student teachers who worked with him and Jack La Bombard in the wrestling room at Queensbury and who went on to become head coaches. This group includes Rich Keys at Hadley Luzerne, Rob Weeks at Shenendehowa, Woody Vandenberg at Brockport, John Vishneowski at Ravena and Selkirk, George Chickanis at Hudson Falls, and Rick Whitaker at Corinth. Bill has been actively involved in numerous related organizations such as the National Wrestling Coaches Association, the Section 2 Coaches Association, the New York State Wrestling Coaches Association, the Local Mat Fans Club, the Section 2 Referees Association, and the Central Division Wrestling Officials Association. He also takes pride in his contribution to the planning and organization of the 2002 Division I Tournament at the Pepsi Arena. Bill and Mary Ellen recently celebrated their thirty-fifth wedding anniversary.