CALDWELL, Idaho – When walking down the second floor of the J.A. Albertson Activities Center, one of the first things people will see is
Brian Smith's office and a massive purple sign with the words "Forget Me, Remember We" just above his door.
"It's about what's best for the program first, what's best for the team second and what's best for me third," the C of I women's soccer head coach said. "We've got such a great group of young women and good players that are always wanting more individually. Their ability to sacrifice for what's best for the squad is a really hard thing to do, but I think they've grown to understand that the 'we' is a lot more powerful than the 'me.'"
The C of I head coach and Director of Soccer understands what it takes to win at the collegiate level. Before he was coaching the women's team at Simplot Stadium, Smith was playing for the men's team at Symms Field. Under C of I Hall of Fame head coach John Calpin, he earned All-District honors and led the Yotes to a 35-21-1 record in four seasons.
After graduation in 1994, the political science major transitioned to teaching at Timberline High School in Boise. While educating students in the classroom, Smith continued his passion for soccer by head coaching the boys' varsity soccer team.
In three seasons coaching the Wolves, Smith won the 2001 state championship and won Idaho 5A Coach of the Year. Smith also coached the girls' varsity team for two seasons, winning Southern Idaho Conference Coach of the Year in 2003. Smith's accomplishments at Timberline caught the attention of many coaches and players in the state and it didn't take long before his former coach offered him the chance to return to Caldwell.
"When [Calpin] retired in 2003, he came to me and said, 'Smitty, I want you to come in and take this thing over,'" Smith said. "John was big on making sure the foundation and key pieces stayed in-house. He was a great role model for me as a coach and person."
When Smith returned to C of I to coach the men's soccer team, he didn't skip a beat in his transition from high school to college. From 2004-12, Smith was a 3-time Cascade Conference Coach of the Year and led the Yotes to a CCC co-championship in 2008.
In 2012, Smith took over as head coach for both the men's and women's soccer programs. With Smith's coaching expertise in high school, he coached the same style for both teams and continued his high level of excellence on the field.
"Smitty has been at [coaching] for a long time and in that time has gained a lot of wisdom," C of I men's soccer head coach and former teammate
Thom Baker said. "He is a good motivator and is terrific with the X's and O's. He has evolved with the game overtime and that makes him an outstanding coach."
When Baker became the head coach of the men's program in 2013, Smith took over the women's program and made the most of his time on the sidelines.
In nine seasons, the United States Soccer Federation (USSF) Class "A" Licensed head coach produced quality season after season on the women's side. His most notable season was the 2020-21 spring season when the Yotes won the CCC East Division title and a berth to the NAIA National Championships for the first time in program history.
"The team's put a lot of pressure on themselves to perform at a really high level all the time," Smith said. "I think a lot of that came from what the team was able to achieve a year ago. They saw what was capable and said that they wanted more of that."
The 2021 fall season is more of the same narrative for Smith and company. In his 18th-year as Director of Soccer and tenth year as coach of the women's team, the Yotes currently have a 9-2 record and are sit atop of the CCC with an undefeated 6-0 start. With the team currently on an 8-game winning streak, C of I is one win away from breaking the program record for the longest winning streak in team history.
"Part of the responsibility is knowing each other's role and taking ownership of our program," Smith said. "We're taking care of all the little things so that all the big things go well. We try to embody that all the time and put everything into our next opponent."
On Oct. 3, C of I's outstanding start to the season would be put to the test against No. 12 Eastern Oregon on Homecoming Weekend. A game of two heavyweights in the CCC, the Sunday afternoon matchup would be a key indicator of who's in the driver's seat in the conference.
"The main game plan against EOU was to outwork them for 90 minutes with the depth of our team and go at them from the flanks with our outside backs," junior midfielder
Chloe Teets said. "Going into halftime with a 2-1 lead, Smitty helped keep us calm and motivated us to come out strong in the second half and show everyone in the conference what we are truly capable of."
Just a minute after the team's halftime huddle, Teets would find the foot of junior defender
Kaitlyn Ramon off a free kick to put the Yotes up 3-1 and ultimately secure the win over the Mountaineers.
"To be able to get a result was fantastic," Smith said. "It showed a lot of grit and character on the team's behalf. To come back and get three was a testament to the quality of the group and our game changers."
The impressive start to the 2021 fall season epitomizes the playing and coaching career of
Brian Smith, but all of Smith's successes haven't come from just one person. That's why he keeps the massive purple sign just above his office door.
"It's that whole embodiment of the "we" as the most important thing in this," Smith said. "I have a part to play in it and I think every successful team has to make that self-sacrifice. "[Forget Me, Remember We] is a quote that I've used and loved and I thought it was a great opportunity to put it up to always remember."
The Yotes continue CCC action tomorrow against Rocky Mountain in Billings, Mont. The game is set for 3:30 p.m.
