Ogden high school baseball coach Dick Smith achieved a milestone on Monday night when he earned his 500th career victory in the Bulldogs’ 11-0 win over Collins-Maxwell-Baxter. Smith began coaching at Ogden in 1977 with the Pee wee program, and took over the vasity program in 1980.

Smith says a passion for the game and great support for the program have kept him in it for this long. He says if you don’t like what you’re doing, you are not going to perform well or put your whole heart into it. Smith says he grew up playing baseball and it’s a sport that sticks out for him.

Most high school coaches serve as their own groundskeeper and Smith says he enjoys that part of the job. He says if the field looks great then the players will play up to those expectations. Smith says it helps him deal with stress to get the field ready before the game and to take care of it after everyone leaves when the game is over.

Smith says he enjoys working through the summer and has always been appreciated the commitment of the players. He always tells seniors that it takes a dedicated young man to play in June and July when they could be out messing around with their friends.