–Unsung Heroes
24 September 2007
ASHFORD SMITH of Cherokee High School
By Terry Brown
At some point in our lives we all face some sort of adversity. For most of us, troubles will be mild and short-lived. For others, they’ll be long-lasting and severe. Unfortunately, some will be forced to deal with some rather intense struggles very early in life. Then, for reasons that are beyond our understanding, a bumpy road is all some of us will ever know. But regardless of the duration, the intensity, the timing, or the reasons for it, hard times will one day reach us all. And those who think otherwise are simply denying the inevitable.
Equally true, however, is the fact that adversity will either serve to weaken us or strengthen us. Of course, what determines that difference is our response to it.
In far too many instances, adversity serves as a catalyst for self-destructive attitudes and behavior. Many will use it as an excuse to become resentful, embittered, or neurotic. Many will go so far as to take out their frustrations on those around them. Others, during times of misfortune, will fall prey to some type of addiction.
But then there will always be those special few who somehow find a way to use adversity to better themselves, to accrue positive rather than negative traits, and to develop character of the highest sort.
Cherokee High School senior Ashford Smith is one of those rare individuals who has used some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable to develop the sort of humility, soft-spoken warmth, and personal integrity that is rarely seen within most grown-up men, much less someone his age.
Those who know and work with Ashford on a daily basis have no trouble thinking of him as a man rather than as a teenager. After all, he doesn’t act like a teenager; he doesn’t talk like a teenager, nor quite honestly, does he even look like a teenager. Perhaps, that’s because Ashford has experienced more upheaval during his few years on earth than most men will ever experience during their entire lifetimes.
Early on, Ashford never had the opportunity to experience what most would describe as a normal home life. In fact, by his ninth grade year, his living situation had deteriorated so much that his only real option was to leave home and live elsewhere. The only problem with that particular option was this: Ashford had nowhere else to live.
As a consequence, for the next two years, Ashford ended up bouncing around from house to house often from one night to the next. Some nights he’d stay at his grandmother’s house. Other nights he’d be forced to call a friend or teammate late in the evening and ask if he could stay there for the night. The truth is, throughout ninth and tenth grade, Ashford seldom knew where he would eventually end up for the night – if anywhere.
For all intents and purposes, Ashford had become an orphan – and a homeless one at that. When asked what went through his mind during those times at night as he lie in someone else’s bed, Ashford simply said, “I thought about my teammates and my coaches, about what they meant to me, and then I’d ask God to make tomorrow a better day.”
He had good reason to hold his teammates and coaches in such high regard. Throughout most of the year, school would provide Ashford with breakfast and lunch. But unfortunately, dinner was never a sure thing. That being the case, three of his teammates, Taz McCoy, Langston Wood, and Steve Saunooke would often get him to go with them to McDonalds or somewhere similar.
They always did so knowing full well that they’d be springing for his part of the bill. And according to Ashford, they did so without ever saying a thing about it. “They’d just grab my slip and that was the end of it,” Ashford said. “Even when I’d have a little money and try to pay, they’d just say, ‘Don’t even go there’ and then change the subject real fast.”
Cherokee’s coaches have also met a special need in ways that no one else could. It’s a common, daily occurrence for a Cherokee football player to suddenly find a coach’s arm draped over his shoulders and to hear words like, “Hey, kid. I love you and I appreciate you. You know that, don’t you?” To most players, such words are an unexpected source of comfort and encouragement.
To Ashford, however, such words and statements were a source of life - words that gave him the energy and desire to persevere through some of the most difficult conditions a teenager could possibly face.
The matter of fact way in which Ashford describes his life experiences shows that despite his difficulties and the seeming unfairness of them all, he still has not allowed things such as hatred and self-pity to grab a foothold in his life. Instead, all anyone ever sees is a heart of gratitude, appreciation, and respect for those who stepped in and cared so deeply about him during those very rough times.
That list includes his football coaches Skooter McCoy, Don Millwood, Craig Barker, and Tom Sargent, for whom he also wrestles.
Coach Sargent, whose coaching career now spans four decades, said of Ashford, “He’s truly one of the most honest and hardworking young men I’ve ever coached. He’s not a big, physical specimen, but his heart is huge. Ashford is a good athlete but an even better person. He’s truly the type of young man that you would want as a son.”
Ashford has also derived a great deal of personal strength from Cherokee Boys’ Club general manager Ray Kinsland, who is currently celebrating his fiftieth year with Cherokee High School’s football team. Through his gentle demeanor, godly character, and fatherly warmth, Mr. Kinsland has served as a solid example of how a man should truly act.
While Mr. Kinsland has met one particular need in his life, the special relationship that Ashford has always had with Coach McCoy has truly filled a huge hole in his heart. When asked, Ashford didn’t have to think long or hard to find words to describe how he feels about the special bond he enjoys with his coach.
With a quick smile, Ashford related, “Coach McCoy has been like a father, like a big brother to me. I would have never survived these years without him. “
Whether Coach McCoy has served as a father or brother, it’s obvious that his influence has, thus far, had the single most important and significant impact on Ashford’s life.
Now, in his senior year, Ashford’s thoughts are mostly concentrated on his studies as well as his future. That being said, his immediate thoughts are currently focused on the single goal of helping his team repeat as the Smoky Mountain Conference champions.
Though many have offered to provide a place for him to stay, Ashford has opted to live on his own in a trailer provided by his aunt. There at night, as he lies in his bed, he still thinks about his teammates and coaches, he continues to think about what they to mean to him, and he still prays that God will make tomorrow a better day.
Ashford intends to graduate at the end of this school year, go to college or into the military, and then one day return to Cherokee High School in some capacity so that he can coach – not for the glory, but for the reason he stated, “I want to come back here and coach so that I can give back what I received.”
Given the sort of person Ashford has become, no one questions whether he will one day give back to Cherokee students not only what he has received – but so much more.
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