Advertisement

Dwyer football hires alum Willie Smith Jr. as new head coach

emilee smarr, palm beach post
·2 min read

PALM BEACH GARDENS — Dwyer football has a new head coach ... again.

William T. Dwyer High alum and former football standout Willie J. Smith Jr. is the third coach to take the reins of the Panthers' program since 2019, now in the seat once held by his own high school head coach, Jack Daniels.

After Daniels departed for retirement — then returning to the field to build the program at Cardinal Newman High — his position was inherited first by McKinley Rolle, who resigned in April 2022, clearing the way for Al Shipman, who resigned in November.

The Benjamin School coaching staff sends words of instruction and encouragement to their players during FHSAA boys football action as host The Benjamin School Buccaneers take on the Gulliver Prep Raiders in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on September 14, 2023.
The Benjamin School coaching staff sends words of instruction and encouragement to their players during FHSAA boys football action as host The Benjamin School Buccaneers take on the Gulliver Prep Raiders in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on September 14, 2023.
The Benjamin School coaching staff sends words of instruction and encouragement to their players during FHSAA boys football action as host The Benjamin School Buccaneers take on the Gulliver Prep Raiders in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on September 14, 2023.
The Benjamin School coaching staff sends words of instruction and encouragement to their players during FHSAA boys football action as host The Benjamin School Buccaneers take on the Gulliver Prep Raiders in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla., on September 14, 2023.

From Shipman, Smith receives a team that finished 4-6 last fall and has broken even in the past five years with 23 wins and 23 losses.

“We are excited to welcome coach Smith to our Dwyer football program and family,” Dwyer Principal Corey Brooks said. “We look forward to his leadership and player development on and off the field.”

Smith's coaching resume spans more than 10 years, including serving as a graduate assistant at Marshall University, where he was a four-year starter at defensive back and earned all-conference honors before going pro in the Arena Football League from 2007 to 2009.

On the high school level, he served a stint as an assistant coach at James Clemens High School in Madison, Alabama, before returning to Palm Beach County to stand on the sidelines of Theofilos Field at The Benjamin School. Smith was on staff for the Bucs from 2020 to 2023, coming off of the 1M squad's most recent 8-3 run to the region semifinals.

The morning press release from the Palm Beach County School District said that Smith "is looking forward to returning to his alma mater as the head coach and creating a winning culture by building a solid foundation based on trust, hard work, and integrity."

This is a developing story. Check back for updates!

Emilee Smarr is a sports reporter for The Palm Beach Post. She can be reached at esmarr@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Dwyer football hires alum Willie Smith Jr. as new head coach