Woodland graduate Kevin Smith went 6-15 and made the playoffs once in his two seasons as the school’s head football coach.
As Woodland’s baseball team prepares for its first-round playoff series against Autauga Academy Friday, it does so knowing that those could be the final games at the school for head coach Kevin Smith, whose primary role was as the school’s head football coach.
Smith was informed last week by Woodland administration that he would not be brought back as a coach or teacher, and in response he filed his retirement papers with the school board. The board accepted his resignation by way of retirement in its meeting on Tuesday night.
“I was told Friday I was not going to be asked back,” Smith said in a call to the Leader Monday.
Smith has more than enough years under his belt as a teacher and coach to start receiving retirement benefits from the state of Alabama, but he said Monday that other coaching opportunities for next season will be available and that he would like to take advantage of one of those opportunities.
Smith is the next in a long line of short-term coaches at Woodland since the departure of Larry Strain after the 2013 season. Whoever is hired to replace Smith will be the sixth coach in the 13 seasons since Strain left. None of those coaches has lasted longer than three seasons. Smith was hired ahead of the 2024 season to replace Joel Schrenk.
Smith went 6-15 in his two seasons with the football team at his alma mater. He improved from 2-8 in his first season to 4-7 last year and got Woodland to the playoffs for the first time since 2021.
