A 106-pound New Jersey state champion in 1968 under the late Hank Schnepf at Lenape Regional High School, Dennis Smith has a lifetime full of wrestling memories. Smith went on to Rutgers University where he received his B.S. degree in health and physical education and was a team captain for the Scarlet Knights. His first taste of coaching came as a graduate assistant while earning his Master's Degree at Trenton State College. In the 1975-76 season, Smith became the first head coach at Delran High School. No other coach had run that program through the 2010-11 season. In the 36 years he has served as head coach, the program has experienced one losing season - 1-16 in the school's inaugural campaign. Through last season, Smith had compiled a record of 578-164-5, second on the all-time list of wins in southern New Jersey history. His teams have won 24 divisional championships in the Burlington County Scholastic League and 10 District Championships. In addition to 24 holiday tournament championships, his team won the South Jersey Group II Championship in 1986 and 1992. Among the individual accomplishments of wrestlers he coached are 65 district and 24 regional champions. Smith had two two-time state champions and and two All-Americans along with 17 state place winners. He was a member of the Southern Chapter of the New Jersey Wrestling Officials Association from 1973-83, is past president and vice-president of the Region 7 Coaches Association and has served on the Executive Committee of the Regions 7/8 Wrestling Coaches and Officials Association and the South Jersey Wrestling Hall of Fame Organization. A Coach of the Year at the district and regional levels, Smith was the state Coach of the Year in 1990. He also received the Harry E. Lake Award in 2009. In addition to his highly successful wrestling program, Smith has been the head cross country coach at Delran since 1975. In that time his teams have compiled a 326-137 record and have won eight Burlington County and one South Jersey Group II and State Group II Championships. Smith also was a coach of the school's golf team and coached girls' softball. Married to Donna since 1989, the couple live in Medford Lakes and have two daughters - Kierstan and Erin, who are students at Shawnee High School.