Homer Smith, former Army coach, dies at 79

WEST POINT, N.Y. (AP) — Former Army head coach Homer Smith, regarded as one of keenest offensive minds in the annals of college football, has died. He was 79.

Smith, coach of the Black Knights from 1974-78, died Sunday at his home in Tuscaloosa, Ala., after a four-year battle with cancer.

Smith was an assistant at several schools in his 39-year career, never staying long enough at any one place to put down roots. He coached at Stanford, Air Force, Alabama, Arizona, the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, and served three stints at UCLA.

While with the Bruins, Smith developed seven future NFL quarterbacks, including Tommy Maddox, Jay Schroeder, and current UCLA coach Rick Neuheisel. Smith also was coach at Davidson and Pacific.

Smith had an economics degree from Princeton, an MBA from Stanford and a master’s in theological studies from Harvard. But it was the ebb and flow of offensive football that captivated him most.

Former UCLA coach Terry Donahue once called Smith the best teacher of the game he had ever known.