Coach Frank Smagacz’s career as a football and track coach and teacher of mathematics continues to be a hallmark of achievement not reached by any other CHS coach and teacher in its long history. In his 23 years at Central (35 total teaching and coaching, including his years at Arlington and Tekamah), his football and track teams achieved outstanding results, including his 1960 football team’s selection as co-state champions, but it was his track teams that were truly unmatched in their excellence, winning five State Track and Field Championships and six district championships in a row (1958-1966). This string of championships also included winning two state championships in two sports (football and track) in one school year (1960-61). The coach’s personal honors included being selected as Coach of the Year in 1961, for the “Binnie and Dutch Award” for his teams’ achievements in track and field, and being inducted into both the Nebraska High School Sports Hall of Fame and the Midland College Hall of Fame. He was also recognized for his individual athletic accomplishments, including being selected as a Little All-American at Midland while winning ten letters, being a member of the 1933 Columbus High School State Championship Basketball Team, and being a member of the All-Service Football Team, having served 3 years (1942-45) in the U.S. Navy. Above all, however, Coach Frank Smagacz will always be remembered for his special ability to motivate athletes to achieve their best.
Frank passed away in 1997 at the age of 82.