The Turf Master

If you have ever walked on the field at R. D. Hicks Stadium, you'll agree that the turf there is among the best, if not the best high school football turf in the state of Alabama.  The texture of the grass is absolutely amazing, and walking on the lush turf actually feels like you are walking on thick, rich carpet.  The condition of the field is no accident, and the full credit goes to David Smith, the Agriscience instructor at North Jackson.  David, along with his students, has been taking care of the turf at R. D. Hicks stadium since 1991 and he does such a magnificent job that other schools in the tri-state area now contract his help with their athletic fields.

David Smith

When David started taking care of the fields at North Jackson around 1991, it was with the intent of eventually teaching a turf class.  Admittedly, he knew very little about sports field management at that time, but his background in agriculture was an obvious help.  He joined the Alabama Turfgrass Association, but he found that their seminars and workshops were geared more toward golf course management.  Feeling that he needed more turf education, he then attended a couple of summer workshops at Auburn University on turf for Ag teachers in the state, and those workshops turned out to be very helpful.  

David then started the Turf class at North Jackson in 1995, and the school was able to purchase more turf equipment in 1998 that launched the NJHS Turf Contracting business.   The Turf Contracting business allows the students to do contract work on football, baseball, and softball fields at area high schools and get paid for it. 

In 2001, David joined the Tennessee Valley Sports Turf Managers Association, an affiliate of the national Sports Turf Managers Association.  According to David, joining the TVSTMA was one of the greatest career moves he's ever made.  Since joining the TVSTMA, David has attended seminars/workshops at Middle Tennessee State University, the University of Tennessee, Vanderbilt University, Bell South Park (home of the Chattanooga Lookouts), and the stadium of the East Tennessee Smokies in Sieverville, Tennessee.  

In January of 2003, the North Jackson Turf program was awarded one of two $75,000 grants for a model turf program.  With the grant, the school has now installed a completely irrigated 3 hole golf course on campus, irrigated the band practice field, installed a 10,000 square feet sod farm/research plot, and purchased even more modern turf equipment.  The three hole, six tee golf course will be used primarily to allow the turf students to learn the hands-on of golf course management, but it will also allow the North Jackson golf team to have a place to practice.  The public is also allowed to use the course on weekends and after school.

The sod farm will grow Tifton 419 Bermuda grass, just like the grass on the football field. The golf greens were sprigged with Tifdwarf Bermuda, a variety commonly used on golf greens. The sod farm will be used for landscaping purposes on the campus and also sold to the public.  

The NJHS football field during the hot summer.  Note the dark richness of the grass

David Smith graduated from Bridgeport High School in 1978, and he attended Auburn University, where he received a degree in Agricultural Education in June of 1982.  He began teaching Ag at Bridgeport High School in July 1985, and taught there the last three years of the school's existence.   He then transferred to North Jackson and has now been at NJHS since it opened in August of 1988.  David is married to Susan Williams Smith who is an 18 year veteran teacher.  She teaches math at Marion County High School in Jasper, Tennessee.  They attend the Kimball Church of Christ.

Professionally, in January 2007 David achieved the Certified Sports Field Managers certification from the Sports Turf Managers Association of American.  He is the only Ag teacher in Alabama and one of the few in America to reach this high level of certification.

For all he does for North Jackson and the entire community, David is highly regarded, both professionally and personally.  David is certainly one of the mainstays of North Jackson and is a credit to the school.  His work is magnificent, to say the least, and his dedication is above reproach.  He certainly deserves the credit he gets and is always working to make things even better.  On behalf of North Jackson High School and the entire community, we would just like to say "Thank you David".