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For this week’s Member Spotlight, I had the opportunity to talk to St. Thomas University LB Coach, Marquis Smith. Coach Smith grew up in Prince George's County, Maryland. Growing up, he played baseball because his mother was afraid of him playing football. However, he got the opportunity to play in the 8th grade and from there he fell in love with football and played the sport throughout high school. After graduating from high school, Smith attended Savannah State University, where he played football for the Tigers. Savannah State was an underfunded program at the time, and the team struggled to compete at the Division I level. However, Smith said that his experience at Savannah State was a valuable one, as it taught him how to deal with adversity and helped him become a better man.
After graduating from Savannah State, Smith tried out for the Green Bay Packers but was not signed. He then played arena football and the Spring League before beginning his coaching career. Smith's first coaching job was at his alma mater Savannah State where he coached linebackers. Coach Smith had some success early on in his coaching career. In their first season in a new conference Savannah State went 5-0 in conference play. After 3 seasons at Savannah State, Coach Smith felt like he needed a new challenge in his journey after playing and coaching at Savannah. He got the opportunity to go to St. Thomas University in Miami, Florida, where he worked as a defensive graduate assistant for his first season. The next season he was promoted to Outside Linebackers coach. Also, during his time coaching at St. Thomas, Coach Smith earned his Master’s degree in Sports Management.
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