Brian Smith elected into Washington Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame

There aren’t many people more humble than Kent School District Director of Athletics and Activities Brian Smith.

Smith always has a smile on and is eager to help in any way, shape or form, no matter what. The longtime wrestling coach who dominated Whatcom County for 25 years at Nooksack Valley High School and Bellingham High School was elected into the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Nov. 8, 2025.

A legacy that began as an assistant coach at Cheney Middle School in 1992 took him eventually up north, where he coached his children and countless others. When he received the call to the hall, Smith thought it was just a regular old Zoom meeting.

“Honestly I was in shock. I’ve been done with coaching for a decade or more. I still give back, running the state tournament for years or if someone needs a floor manager. So it’s always a part of me. In all honesty my instant reaction was ‘Oh my God, I’m old. I’m in a hall of fame,’” Smith said. “I know that sounds odd, but you gotta take a step back and look at where I am in my career. It’s an absolute honor.”

Smith’s trophy case and achievements are remarkable across his 15 years as a head coach. He won 90 dual meets, had four state champs, six state finalists, 36 placers, 75 participants and six academic state champions.

“As a sport, wrestling is truly a fellowship. No matter where you go, the people in that sport work their butt off to get everything they can out of themselves. When you go through it, you just have a certain respect for those people. Cross cultures, it doesn’t matter,” Smith said.

He was named Washington State 3A Coach of the Year in 2006, won the Gary Knutzen Spirit of Wrestling Award in 2005, U.S. Marine Corps Sportsmanship Coach of the Year in 2007, and then Bellingham School District’s Shining Star Coach Award in 2008.

Smith also coached outside of high school athletics as well. He coached Team Washington at youth nationals from 2006 to 2008, and the Down Under Games Western States Team in 2004, and even traveled to Japan as the Cultural Exchange Coach in 2003.

“You build these relationships and care about these kids so much. There are times where you feel like you care more than their parents do and often times you care more than they do and they don’t even know it at that point,” Smith said.

When Smith went into a more administrative role, he became the president of the Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association from 2002-2006, and as an executive director of the WIAA, he oversaw the Mat Classic at the Tacoma Dome.

In his time, wrestling has grown exponentially, especially the girls game. Girls wrestling has gone from a side note to a main event. Girls wrestling keeps growing and growing, and from a 30,000 foot view, Smith can’t be more happy for what his sport has turned into. Smith changed the culture of wrestling at Nooksack Valley when he took over the program. There were nine wrestlers in 1994 when he first started and within the first couple of years, they defeated top ranked teams in the state. He then went to a brand new school in Bellingham and did it all over again.

“I’ve had multiple all-Americans and have had some unbelievable kids. Annapolis, offices in the Pentagon of kids that were my captains, I was happy to be a part of their journey type stuff. Kids that have wrestled on the East Coast, there’s a lot of different stories, but it comes down to those relationships,” Smith said. “Seeing those kids grow, those who were timid to when they were seniors, they were captains and leaders. They became men. That’s what I hang my hat on.”

What sticks out about Smith is that he couldn’t tell you how many duals he won or state placers he has had. But he can tell you how many wedding invitations he has gotten from former players.

“I joke with people when they ask me what my biggest trophy is, I tell them one year I got 12 wedding invites. Isn’t that what it comes down to? You get to be a part of people’s lives, long after training to go to battle,” Smith said.

In Smith’s time in Kent since his hire in 2019, the wrestling programs have gotten bigger and bigger. Especially at a school like Kent-Meridian where success in a competitive arena has been hard to come by. Royal wrestlers have become a force on the mat.

During his speech at his induction, Smith went on a 10-minute monologue and talked about thanking officials, his family, wife and fellow coaches.

Early in his career, Smith described a transformative moment with a wrestler who didn’t meet his expectations. He gave an ultimatum to the wrestler who just lost a tough match. “If you quit like that again, I’ll walk away,” Smith said in his speech.

Smith did walk away and regretted it.

“That experience shaped me. It taught me that coaching isn’t about pushing athletes. It’s about walking with them, especially when they’re struggling to see their own worth. Coaching, to me, was never about wrestling. It was about life. It was about building relationships, offering guidance, encouragement and truth.”

He ended his speech with a call to action to coaches and players in attendance.

“In a society where blowing out someone else’s candle to make your own seem brighter has too often become the norm, it’s refreshing to be part of a group that chooses differently,” Smith said.

Smith tries not to be seen, but can be behind the scenes at football games, basketball games, and of course wrestling matches, where now the hall of famer will be etched into the history books forever.