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WHO'S

SMEDLEY?

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The Smeds, very happy after

a huge win versus Fredonia.

COACHING BIO

 

Currently: 

Orchard Park Soccer Club, U15 Boys Select 

Creator, Owner of Smedley's Soccer Site

Professor, Niagara County Community College

Writer, World Class Coaching

Contributor, Amplified Soccer Magazine

Education:

B.S., Management Science, SUNY Geneseo

B.S., Exercise Science, The University of Buffalo

M.S. Exercise Physiology. The University of Akron

USSF 'C' License

Formerly:

Empire United Soccer Academy

Head Coach, Delaware Soccer Club

Assistant Coach, Longwood University Men's Soccer

Lecturer, Longwood University

Adjunct Professor, Canisius College

Assistant Coach, Men's and Women's Soccer, Buffalo State College

Head  Coach, Women's Soccer, Juniata College

Head Coach, Women's Soccer, Saint Francis University

Assistant Coach, Women's Soccer, The University of Buffalo

Assistant Coach, Women's Soccer, SUNY Geneseo

Publications:

Smedley's Soccer Drills

Smedley's Defending Twenty

Smedley's Favorites, Volumes 1-5

Smedley's Guide to Combination Play (In Progress)

The Story of Smedley

 

I was in the team locker room at Geneseo State (minding my own business, of course) when one of the seniors--Brian Arnold--began to trumpet like an elephant. I'd rather not go into the reasons why he was making this noise, but let's just say that it was one of the many inside jokes that the team shared on a regular basis.

 

But true to form, as soon as Brian got started, the rest of the upperclassmen joined in. And I do have to say that John Hill did the most realistic imitation of an African elephant that I have ever heard. Absolutely first rate in my opinion, something that he must have devoted years of practice to.  

 

I stood in front of my locker, highly amused but not joining in on the fun as yet. I was still a freshman, and freshmen were to be seen and not heard until a veteran player said otherwise.  And wouldn't you know it-that very afternoon, Brian Arnold turned around and asked me to participate.

The Smeds, 1978

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Nice Shorts!

"Hey Don!" he said. "Let's hear yours!"

 

Without hesitation, I stepped up onto the bench and did the very best elephant trumpeting of my life. It was always a good idea to just go along with whatever the seniors wanted you to do, and besides-Brian wasn't trying to give me a hard time. He was our team comedian, and he just wanted me to get in on the fun. He didn't haze the freshmen. His locker was right next to mine, and even though he was a starter and a senior, he'd been great to me since the first day. 

 

So I played along, extending my right arm out and coiling it along side my head like an elephant's trunk.  And then I let it rip again. It immediately brought the house down, because it sounded so ridiculous.

SUNY Geneseo Men's

Soccer Team, 1977

(aka, the guys who named me.)

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"He sounds like a cartoon!" someone shouted. "He should be on George of the Jungle!"

 

I trumpeted again, because it was really getting fun.

 

"No, no!" Brian roared. "He sounds like Smedley! You know--Captain Crunch's elephant!"

 

And that was that. Brian had pegged it perfectly, and the nickname stuck. Later on that year, I pledged for Phi Sigma Epsilon-a fraternity that always had a bunch of soccer players in it-and the nickname really took off after that. Some thirty years later, it's still what my closest friends call me, and it's pretty much the name that I've come to prefer.

 

All because of a funny cartoon elephant in some TV commercials. Go figure. 

The Original Smedley in Action!

© 2015 by Don Herlan. Proudly created with Wix.com

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