Kevin Smith excited and eager to get going as Cape athletic director

Cape Athletic Director-In-Waiting Kevin Smith was a three-sport athlete at Garfield High School in Woodbridge, Va., and the cat could play, excelling at quarterback and punter, a shooting guard in basketball and a pitcher, first baseman and outfielder on the baseball team.

His mom was an administrative secretary at Woodbridge High School in Virginia to several principals over 35 years, while his dad was a branch manager for Brinks Armored Car. 

In his college career, Kevin was the starting quarterback at Towson University all four years, graduating in 1999. He married Hope Clossey in September 2007 at Venus On the Half Shell – now Ivy – in Dewey Beach. They have two children: Tynan, 9, a fourth-grader at Shields Elementary in Lewes, and Cali, 7, a first-grader at Shields, where Hope teaches second grade.    

The Smiths live in Milton, where the family has grown to include three rescue dogs: Lulu, a female greyhound; Aston, a male Spanish Galgo from Spain; and Summer, a beagle/whippet rescue who bays at the moon while running like the wind. 

He comes to the Cape district with 19 years teaching and coaching experience in men’s and women’s sports in Virginia and Delaware, including a stint as both head football coach and athletic director Polytech High School in Woodside (2015-19) before accepting the AD position at Sussex Central High School in October 2019. When the Cape position opened up, Smith turned his attention to reaching a long-term career goal.

“When my wife and I were visiting or vacationing before we moved here, we were checking out schools and I always said that one day I would love to work for the Cape Henlopen School District,” Kevin said. “So, when this job opened, I was excited at the opportunity to apply and even more honored to be the selected candidate amongst a highly qualified pool of candidates.”

Smith is clear about what he wants to achieve.

“My personality is always centered around the student-athletes and their athletic experiences. My goal is to make sure that the athletic department is giving the kids the best possible experience during their four-year playing career,” he said. “I want myself and our coaches to make sure that we are doing everything possible to have the kids graduating from the Cape Henlopen School District happy with their athletic experience.”

Kevin was pitched the question, “Cape leads all public schools with 59 state championships over 51 years. Bob Cilento stepped off as athletic director having overseen 25 state titles since 2007. Are you looking forward to keeping that going?” 

“No pressure,” Kevin said with a laugh. “I do know about the excellent athletic tradition at Cape Henlopen High School across the board. I am excited to be part of a winning tradition, and I just want to make sure that I don’t mess it up.”

A gunslinger college quarterback and family man with three rescue dogs coming from a pedigree in which Mom was a super secretary while Dad a Brinks Armored Car manager, you know the gate receipts will be right while the Cape coaches and kids will handle their business like they have for a half century.