He came west from Manitoba in 2007, helped G.W. Graham win a pair of provincial football titles and ushered in a new era of football at Sardis secondary.
Now Adam Smith is heading home.
The now-former head coach of the Falcons confirmed last week that he is leaving Sardis, and British Columbia, moving home to Winnipeg to take care of an ailing family member.
“We always talked about family and being there for each other, so when my mom became sick it made sense to move back and be closer to family to help out,” he said.
He’ll be separated from former players by hundreds of kilometres, but Smith said the bonds that he made at Sardis and G.W. Graham will last forever.
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Smith also coached basketball at Sardis, guiding the senior boys and junior girls last season.
“The kids and my fellow coaches will be deeply missed,” he said. “I can’t thank Sardis enough for allowing me to do what I love, and my final words to my fellow coaches and players are ‘Love you and thank you for being Falcon Tough.’”
Who replaces Smith on the b-ball side is still up in the air, but Sardis athletic director Brad Geary confirmed Tuesday that Sukh Parmar will step into the head coaching role with the football team. Parmar coached alongside Smith at Sardis and G.W. Graham and Geary said Smith endorsed the choice.
“I expect the transition will unfold smoothly,” he said. “Sukh has Adam’s support taking over. He has a great connection with the kids and he’s well-liked by his players and his fellow coaches. He’s a demanding coach and his practices are very up-tempo, and when he was coaching our defensive side of the ball, he was the guy driving the bus.
“Now that he’s driving the bus as head coach, I don’t expect us to skip a beat in terms of getting the most out of the players.”
That said, Geary said Smith will be missed.
“Adam has made significant contributions to our school during the time he’s been at Sardis,” he noted. “He’s super popular with his players regardless of the sport, and he was a key team member in the resurrection of Falcon football.”
Smith’s legacy in Chilliwack starts with that, bringing the sport back to Sardis secondary after a three decade hiatus.
With Smith leading the football side and George Chayka spearheading the fundraising side, the fledgling program was positioned for success and has enjoyed a good first two seasons.
Parmar inherits a good situation.
@ProgressSports
eric.welsh@theprogress.com
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