Track & Field
- Title:
- Volunteer Hurdles Coach
- Email:
- dsmith@athletics.ucla.edu
Darrell Smith brings over 20 years of international, elite level sprint and hurdle coaching experience back to Westwood. Smith was born and raised a Bruin. Following in the footsteps of his uncle, world renowned sprint and hurdle coach John Smith, he graduated in 1993 from UCLA, with a Political Science degree.
In 2016 coach Darrell Smith directed one of the top recruits in the country in Rai Benjamin to a sixth-place finish at the NCAA Championships in the 400m hurdles. Benjamin clocked the eighth fastest time in UCLA history en route to earning USTFCCCA First Team All-America accolades.
Also during the outdoor campaign, sophomore Leon Powell placed fifth in the 100m and sixth in the 200m at the Pac-12 Championships. Powell was a NCAA West Prelim qualifier in the 100m, 200m and the anchor on the 4x100m relay.
Fresh off of spring football practice Kenny Walker finished sixth in the 100m at the Pac-12 Championships and also ran the opening leg of the 4x100m relay that finished fourth overall.
Sophomore Misana Viltz was a NCAA West Prelim qualifier in the 110m hurdles and placed fourth in the event at the Pac-12 Championships.
During the indoor season, sophomore Joe Herrera ran the 400m leg on the school record-breaking distance medley relay. The quartet clocked a 9:29.61 to set the all-time mark and later went on to place seventh at the NCAA Indoor Championships. For his efforts, Herrera was named a USTFCCCA First Team All-American.
Under the guidance of John, he helped guide the careers of some of track and field’s greatest athletes, including Bruin alums Kevin Young and Ato Boldon.
He hopes to use the experience of taking athletes to four Olympiads and seven World Championships, to help mold and guide the Bruins back to a national title. He also relies on his experience as a student-athlete to help his charges navigate the challenges of being a UCLA Bruin, student athlete. He believes in balancing the high expectations of UCLA, on and off the track. Achieving a UCLA degree is just as important as scoring points on the track - one cannot be done without the other.
Smith has three kids, Ricky 26, Aysia 24 and Jaden 11.
