Germantown head coach Chris Smith

Germantown head coach Chris Smith is a 2005 graduate of Blytheville High School and a former Blytheville resident.

By the NEA Courier

Germantown High School Head Coach Chris Smith has been announced as the 2018 winner of the prestigious Rex Award, honoring an outstanding Memphis area football coach.

The award, which is presented by the National Football Foundation College Hall of Fame, is named for former University of Memphis football coach Rex Dockery.

Smith was honored at the Scholar Athlete dinner, which took place Monday, April 22 at Rhodes College. Also honored were 11 high school football standouts and a pair of college players.

Smith is a 2005 graduate of Blytheville High School, where he was an All-State performer in football and baseball and still holds school records in both sports. He served one season at BHS as offensive coordinator before taking the head job at Germantown.

His teams have finished back-to-back undefeated seasons in the loaded Class 6A, Region 8 and he is the two-time reigning coach of the year. The Red Devils are 23-2 overall the last two seasons and are riding a 21-game regular season win streak. The 32-year-old Smith is 31-16 overall after four seasons at the helm of GHS.

Smith becomes the third Germantown coach to win the award, joining Charlie White (2010) and the legendary Ken Netherland (1991) as past winners. Others who have won the award include Major Wright (2012- Briarcrest), son of longtime former BHS Coach Larry Wright; and former Ole Miss Coach Hugh Freeze (2005-Briarcrest).

Monday's dinner took place at the Bryan Campus Life Center on the Rhodes College campus.