Coaching legends offer a weekly behind-the-scenes look at Kentucky high school football

Chuck Smith and David Buchanan have had a friendship that has endured since their days as assistant football coaches on Larry French’s staff at Mercer County High School way back in 1986.

When they became head coaches in their own right, they would talk on the phone regularly, sometimes “two or three times per week,” Buchanan said, to chat about football and maybe try to help each other with a problem they might be facing.

Fortunately for the Kentucky high school football coaching community, players and fans, Smith and Buchanan have brought dozens of other coaches into their conversations in recent years for “The Coaches Office” podcast, which begins its third season on a number of platforms, including YouTube, on Thursday.

Smith led Boyle County to six state championships and finished his career with 234 wins at stops that also included Allen County-Scottsville and Campbellsville. Buchanan has racked up 231 wins at Paris, Mason County, Mercer County and now Anderson County.

Their experiences alone could fill up hours on end.

“I’ve had a great time with it,” said Smith, who has been serving as an assistant at South Warren under his son Brandon Smith for the last few years. “It gives us a chance to talk about some of our experiences and our passion for Kentucky high school football. We love talking about Kentucky high school football and the progress that it’s made. I look forward to it every week.”

Buchanan didn’t know what to make of the podcast idea when Smith proposed it back in 2022. He’d just stepped down at Mercer County and was out of coaching.

“I thought he was just doing it because he felt sorry for me because I didn’t have a job,” Buchanan said. “He swears that’s not it … but I’m really glad we’re doing it because it’s very much got that dynamic of us sitting in the football office in 1986.”

Now 52 episodes in, it’s clear Smith, Buchanan and their guests aren’t just sharing their knowledge and their takes on controversial topics, they’re also sharing the camaraderie they have as members of a vocation that tries to help build young football players into young men.

“Football is a great game. There’s no doubt about that,” Buchanan said. “But what makes it incredible is those relationships. It’s really sort of overwhelming. It really is.”

Notable guests have included living legends Belfry’s Philip Haywood, Bell County’s Dudley Hilton and their old boss Larry French, now at Middlesboro.

Two of the highlights of the first season were meaningful conversations with Somerset’s Robbie Lucas just a few weeks before his untimely death and a sit-down with Harrodsburg legend Alvis Johnson and his son Dennis Johnson, the head coach at Woodford County.

They’ve also talked with University of Kentucky recruiting coordinator Vince Marrow, “Air Raid” offensive guru Tony Franklin and Kurt Hines, the head coach at San Diego’s Coronado High School, who has gone viral with some of the wisdom he shares on social media.

“I love it that I have access to the best of the best coaches,” Buchanan said. “If there’s a project I’m working on or if there’s something I want to learn, I can try to pick a coach or a topic that’s going to help me.”

Neither Smith nor Buchanan could guess the podcast would continue, much less be available on Spreaker, Apple Podcasts, Spotify and YouTube each week. Mac Yocum, a longtime broadcasting instructor and coach at Frankfort High School, helps put the podcasts together and produces a sports history segment for them each week. Anderson County assistant football coach Noah King handles social media for the podcast.

“David and I have really enjoyed it, and it’s developed a fan base. I think we average around 1,800 to 1,900 listeners a week during the season,” Smith said. “We’ve felt like it’s had some success.”

Thursday’s season-opening episode will feature Highlands football coaching legend Dale Mueller, who led the Bluebirds to 11 state championships in 14 trips to the state finals.

Consider Buchanan sold on doing the show as long as they can.

“It’s a really cool thing,” Buchanan said. “I think we’ll do it until we can’t speak anymore.”

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