Competitive. Unassuming. Gracious.

In his 48 years on the mat, these personal qualities of Frank Smith are reflected in the thousands of wrestlers he coached.

Few coaches, if any, have touched so many young men's lives.

Frank was born and raised in the steel town of Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. He sharpened his wrestling skills in one of the nation's wrestling hotbeds, the Lehigh Valley. In his senior year, Frank placed second at the Pennsylvania high school championships.

He then attended Brown University, where he compiled a 30-1-1 career record, co-captaining the 1957 team and finishing fourth in his senior year in the Eastern Intercollegiate Wrestling Association.

After completing some coursework at Harvard, Frank began his coaching career in 1959 at Cambridge's Browne and Nichols School.

In 1965, Frank began his affiliation with Concord-Carlisle High School where he would remain for the next 20 years.

In 1985, he took over the Melrose program. For the last 10 years, Frank has brought his wrestling expertise to the Reading program.

The list of Frank's accomplishments is lengthy. He coached three New England champions at B&N, five New England champions at Concord-Carlisle and one New England champion at Melrose. Over the years, he also coached 15 state champions and numerous state and New England place-winners.

Frank is a member of the 300-Victory Club as well as a member of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame and the New England Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Frank enjoys his retirement in Concord with his wonderful wife Bonnie. Frank and Bonnie spend their free time together with their son Mark Smith and daughter Becky Carter, their families and their grandchildren.