Rob Smith is one of the Great Northwest Athletic Conference’s most decorated coaches. In his eighth season as the leader of the Humboldt State football program, he captured conference Coach of the Year honors for the second straight season and was named an American Football Coaches Association Regional Coach of the Year. Smith led the Green and Gold to their first NCAA playoff berth since 1968, and the Jacks captured their first postseason win since 1960.
 
After orchestrating an eight-win improvement a year ago, Smith’s Jacks made noise at the national level in 2015. He led the program, which was nationally ranked for a majority of the season, to a 10-win season, a GNAC championship and a trip to the playoffs. HSU hosted and defeated Augustana in the first round of the NCAA postseason.
 
He coached one of the nation’s most exciting offensive units, which included sophomore running back Ja’Quan Gardner, a Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, AFCA All-American and the nation’s leading rusher. The Jacks averaged 41.4 points per game and scored 50 or more points in five games during the 2015 season.
 
Eighteen HSU football players collected All-GNAC honors and the honorees included the Offensive Player of the Year (Ja’Quan Gardner), Offensive Lineman of the Year (Alex Cappa), Defensive Lineman of the Year (Dillon Huffman) and Newcomer of the Year (Chris Hannible).
 
Smith began the 2015 campaign after leading his team’s historic turnaround a season earlier. He helped guide the Jacks to a GNAC record eight-win improvement following a 0-11 mark in 2014. A conference-leading eight HSU players earned All-GNAC First Team honors and freshmen Alex Cappa and Robert Webber received prestigious individual awards. Cappa, a unanimous All-GNAC First Team selection, was tabbed the conference’s Offensive Lineman of the Year, and Webber was selected as the GNAC co-Freshman of the Year in his first season as the team's starting quarterback.
 
Since Smith’s arrival, HSU has seen unprecedented success and national acclaim. He guided the Jacks to a 9-1 record en route to their first GNAC Championship in 2011 and led the Green and Gold to a 24-4 mark from 2010-12. The program had not seen a winning season since 2006 when Smith arrived, and he began to transform the team into a title contender immediately after taking the helm.
 
In his first season the Jacks went 2-9 overall, the record improved by three wins in year two (5-5) and three more in year three (8-3). Smith’s Jacks dominated the opposition in 2011 and captured a GNAC title, had a solid year in 2012 (7-4), and devastating injuries kept HSU winless in 2013 (0-11).
 
Few NCAA Division II coaches have resumes that match Smith’s. Entering the 2015 season, Smith is a three-time recipient of the GNAC Coach of the Year award at HSU (2014, 2011 and 2010) and earned the honor on seven occasions at Western Washington University (1989, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2003). Smith was inducted into the WWU Hall of Fame upon the completion of the 2007 football season.
 
Smith’s extensive Division II head coaching experience also carries into the classroom. His record of student-athlete success in all facets is noticeable on and off the field. In 2010-11, HSU won the GNAC Academic award for highest team GPA. Seven Jacks were named to the GNAC Football All-Academic Team in 2015.
 
Prior to HSU, Smith served as director of athletics at Grays Harbor Community College (Aberdeen, Wash.) after stepping away from the head coach position at WWU after the 2005 season. During his 17-year career as the Vikings’ head coach, Smith’s teams posted a cumulative record of 109-62-1 for a .640 winning percentage. His win total and winning percentage are the best in school history, and a total of 48 athletes earned All-America recognition during his tenure.
 
Smith guided the Vikings to five national playoff appearances, including a trip to the NAIA Division II National Championship game in 1996. Smith directed WWU to the school’s first national playoff appearance in 1992 and its first postseason trip as a NCAA Division II member in 1999. The Vikings won six league titles under Smith, nearly half the school’s total of 13.
 
Smith attended the University of Washington, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in 1981. He lettered three years as a fullback and played in the 1978 Rose Bowl.