Rodney Smith is in his fifth season as the Head Track & Field and Cross Country Coach at Hardin-Simmons University.

Smith brings 38 years of coaching experience to HSU. His coaching career includes seven years at Abilene Christian University and one year at Southern Arkansas University as an assistant, three years at David Lipscomb College as the head coach, 12 years at the high school level where he coached six individual state champions, and 15 years at the club level. 

During his career, he has coached four individual National Champions, 14 All-Americans, three Lone Star Conference Cross Country Team Champions, two NCAA Division II South/Southeast Region Champions in cross-country, three NCAA Division II Track & Field Team Champions while on the staff at ACU, and the NAIA Area 5 Coach of the Year while at David Lipscomb.

During his first four years at Hardin-Simmons University Smith coached Ashley Huston to become a three time national champion, five-time All-American, NCAA Division III Female Athlete of the Year, ASC Female Athlete of the Year, and the ASC Track Athlete of the Year. During this time the track & field/cross-country program has also produced five other National Qualifiers, five National All-Academic selections, 25 all-conference athletes, 41 All-Academic student/athletes, five All-ASC Distinguished Scholars, one all-region Athlete in Cross-Country, two Freshmen of the Year, the team and individual champion at the ASC Cross-Country Championships in 2010, and the High Point Athlete of the Meet at the ASC Track and Field Championships in 2009, 2010, and 2012

Coach Smith earned his Bachelor’s in Education from ACU and his MS in Education from Southern Arkansas University.

He and his wife of 32 years, Annette, have four adult children.  Quinn, is an attorney in Miami, FL., Toni, is a wife and mother in Katmandu, Nepal, Laura, is in the U.S. Navy, and Jason lives and works in Dallas.