Diane Crocker Ralston Smith

Profession: Teacher/Coach

High School: Calhoun High School

Diane was an accomplished four-sport athlete at Calhoun High School. She was a softball and volleyball MVP, a two-year basketball MVP and set school records in the shot put and discus for the track team. Smith was the first female athlete from CHS to receive an athletic scholarship.

Smith received her B.S. Degree in Health and Physical Education from Berry College, her Master’s Degree in Health and Physical Education from Jacksonville State University and her Specialist Degree in Administration and Supervision from Lincoln Memorial University. At Berry College, Smith was the Captain of both the basketball and volleyball teams her Jr. and Sr. years and she received the “Lady Viking Award” for the Most Outstanding Female Athlete in 1974.

Smith received many honors in adult travel softball including 27 MVP awards, named to 43 All-Tournament teams, was a member of the All-Georgia team, played in 16 National tournaments and her team won a National Championship in 1987. As a player, she is a member of the Georgia ASA Softball Hall of Fame and the Georgia USSSA Softball Hall of Fame.

Smith coached girls’ softball for the Calhoun Recreation Department for 31 years beginning at the age of 17. Her teams won numerous league and district championships and two state championships.

This is Smith’s 39th year teaching physical education at Calhoun Middle School. She coached the CMS girls’ basketball team for 36 yrs. winning 750 games and 26 region championships, the CMS girls’ track team for 24 years winning 22 county championships and 11 region championships, the CMS softball team for 3 years winning the region championship all three years and the girls’ soccer team two years capturing the region title both years. This past February, the Northwest Georgia Tip-Off Club presented Smith with the Graham Woodell Award for her 36 years of coaching girls’ basketball at Calhoun Middle School.

Smith was a GHSA softball umpire for the first nine years of her teaching career. She gave up umpiring in 1986 to coach high school softball. This season marks her 30th year as the Head softball coach at Calhoun High School. Her teams have won 580 games, 2 state championships and 10 region championships. She has received numerous coaching honors for softball. This past season she was named the Softball Coach of the Year for the GACA, the Georgia Dugout Club, the Rome News-Tribune and the Chattanooga Times Free-Press Best of Preps. As a coach, she is a member of the Georgia Dugout Club Softball Hall of Fame.

Smith is married to Coach Jerry Smith, a retired math teacher and Head football coach from Calhoun High School. She has a daughter Jaime Garrett, a son-in-law Dan Garrett and a daughter Kayla Ralston. Jaime is the Assistant Principal at Calhoun Primary/Elementary School and Kayla teaches Physical Education at Calhoun Elementary School and is an assistant coach for the CHS softball and basketball teams as well as the head JV basketball coach at CHS. Smith has two brothers, Billy and Randy Crocker and she is the daughter of the late Frank and Mary Crocker.