Central will start the 2013-14 season likely ranked high in most national polls and be a strong favorite to capture a third straight Class 6A state title.
The Rockets will also start the season with a new head football coach.
Roland Smith was hired to be the head football coach Thursday morning, replacing Telly Lockette.
Lockette, who led Central to three straight appearances in the Class 6A title game, was hired to become the running back's coach at the University of South Florida in March.
Smith becomes the third former Northwestern coach to become Central's head coach – Lockette in 2008 and Billy Rolle for a few weeks in 2007 before returning to Northwestern.
Smith, who played defensive back for the University of Miami and was drafted by the Miami Dolphins in 1991, said that he's ecstatic.
“Its so great to have the opportunity to work with young men again as a head football coach,” Smith said. “I really appreciate the opportunity that the principal [Gregory Bethune] and athletic director have given me. Everyone really has treated me like family and I am excited to be back coaching and teaching the young men.”
Central athletic director Latoya Williams said that bringing in Smith was the right move for the program.
“We're all very excited about bringing in coach Smith. We wanted to bring in someone who had the experience and was already a figure in the community and coach Smith is both of those. We feel he can prepare the kids on and off the field and do a great job,” Williams said.
Smith was last a head coach in 2006 – leading Northwestern to a 34-14 win over Altomonte Springs Lake Brantley in the Class 6A state championship game. The title game and Northwestern's program became marred in light of a scandal involving then-senior running back Antwain Easterling.
The report and details of the scandal led to the dismissal of Smith and the entire football coaching staff – which included Lockette -- and other school administrators.
All the coaches were later exonerated of any wrongdoing and allowed to return to coaching.
Smith said he had previous offers to return to coaching, but wanted to make sure he went into the right situation.
'It was really all about the kids,” Smith said. “If it were about me, I would've returned to coaching a long time ago. I'm glad I'm able to be back on the sideline and lift the program to higher heights.”
Taking over at Northwestern in 2000, Smith compiled a 69-13 record and took the Bulls to two state championship games (2001 and 2006); winning the crown in 2006. Though Smith was dismissed from Northwestern before the start of the 2007 season; many give him partial credit for the team's 2007 mythical National championship.
Smith takes over a Rockets team that features two of the best running backs in the country in Joseph Yearby and Dalvin Cook – ranked No. 3 and No. 4 in Larry Blustein's Pre-Spring Top 75 respectively – and has gone 60-10 in the past five seasons with a pair of state championships.
Last year, while the Rockets began the season ranked No. 1 in the nation by USA Today they were also said to have the most difficult schedule in the country – facing three nationally ranked opponents in a four-week span.
After going 1-2 in that span, the Rockets finished the season on an 11-game winning game streak – including two victories over rival Northwestern and 37-14 win over Gainesville in the 6A final.
“This team is loaded,” Smith said. “I'm looking forward to opportunity to picking up where coach Lockette left off and he did a great job here. I'm ready to help Rocket nation reach higher heights.”
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