Dave Smith was introduced as Manteca High’s next dean of athletics during the Manteca Unified school board meeting Monday.
Smith currently serves as Weston Ranch High’s social science department chairman and varsity head baseball coach.
Ron Inderbitzin will complete his third and final year as athletic director on May 28, the last day of the district’s school year.
“It’s always tough when you leave the place where you got your start,” Smith said. “Even though I’m leaving, hopefully I’ll be able to maintain those relationships that I’ve had at Weston Ranch over the last six years.
“I am grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to it a great deal. Being at a school like Manteca that has such a long and successful athletic tradition is something special, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that tradition and helping continue it.”
Smith, 29, hails from Seal Beach in Southern California and played baseball and football at Los Alamitos High. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of the Pacific and a master’s in education administration from Grand Canyon University.
He was named Weston Ranch’s first-ever varsity head coach during the 2004-05 school year when there were no seniors on campus.
Smith is the second coach from Weston Ranch to be named dean of athletics at another school. Former varsity boys basketball coach Bill Slikker is now athletic director at Lathrop High; the district’s newest of its five comprehensive high schools that opened in the fall of 2008.
“Dave Smith is an outstanding human being, first and foremost,” said Weston Ranch athletic director Pat King. “He’s been my go-to guy at Weston Ranch. If I need help, he’s the one who steps up.
“I see nothing but great things coming out of him at Manteca High School. He is very organized and does everything the right way. He doesn’t cut corners and holds people accountable. For me, both personally and professionally, it’s devastating to lose that caliber of a person.”
Inderbitzin and his predecessor, Mark Troutner, the school’s A.D. for seven years, are also graduates of UOP. Smith will meet with Inderbitzin Friday before officially being handed the keys on July 1.
Inderbitzin is in his 14th year at Manteca High, where he has also served as dean of activities. He is stepping down to spend more time with his four children — Katie, 11, Sarah, 10, Ryan 6, Emily, 4 — but is open to the possibility of returning to the post in the future.
“I’m stepping down from a position that I truly love, it just wasn’t the right time in my life to continue,” he said.
His time was short but fruitful.
Inderbitzin’s goal from the start was to continue improving the athletic facilities. Troutner helped start the process during his time as athletic director. The school’s football stadium, Guss Schmiedt Field, got its new scoreboard in 2006, and the Walker Vick Field House, which shelters the football team’s locker room, was constructed nearby.
Inderbitzin’s first task in 2007 was to revamp the varsity baseball diamond. The outfield fence, backstop, dugouts and spectator bleachers were all upgraded.
Since then, work has been done to improve the sound system at the stadium, an electronic scoreboard/clock was appended next to the swimming pool and the shot put and discus areas were completely redone for the track and field team to meet safety standards.
Inderbitzin said that he is in the process of getting new padding up in the wrestling room and that the remodeling of the varsity softball diamond will continue after his time is up.
“The two things I really focused on were safety and improving the look of Manteca High School,” Inderbitzin said. “I wanted to help improve the facilities for all of our sports programs.
“We have a few more cosmetic things that we want to work on, one being the addition of a scoreboard on the baseball field, but you have to do it one step at a time. The way the economy is, it makes it real tough to get sponsors so it’s just not the right time to get everything done at once.”
His favorite project was the celebration of the stadium’s 50th year. On Sept. 25, the Buffaloes played Enochs for its home opener while honoring the Schmiedt family as well as the 1959 football team.
Guss Schmiedt served on the old Manteca Union High School District board for over 40 years and was instrumental in establishing the city’s first state-of-the-art football stadium that bears his name.
Organizing the 50-year anniversary had special meaning to Inderbitzin, a 1985 graduate of East Union but with family ties to Manteca. Both of his parents and grandparents attended the town’s oldest high school.
Inderbitzin will continue to teach driver’s education at Manteca High and help Smith through his first year.
“What I needed to have done for next year is what I am doing right now,” Inderbitzin said. “I’m setting everything up from teachers’ duties to game schedules to transportation assignments to walk-on coaches. I’d like to get everything organized, because the new person is going to have a hard enough time as it is just doing the basic things.”
Smith currently serves as Weston Ranch High’s social science department chairman and varsity head baseball coach.
Ron Inderbitzin will complete his third and final year as athletic director on May 28, the last day of the district’s school year.
“It’s always tough when you leave the place where you got your start,” Smith said. “Even though I’m leaving, hopefully I’ll be able to maintain those relationships that I’ve had at Weston Ranch over the last six years.
“I am grateful for the opportunity and looking forward to it a great deal. Being at a school like Manteca that has such a long and successful athletic tradition is something special, and I’m looking forward to being a part of that tradition and helping continue it.”
Smith, 29, hails from Seal Beach in Southern California and played baseball and football at Los Alamitos High. He earned his bachelor’s degree in history from the University of the Pacific and a master’s in education administration from Grand Canyon University.
He was named Weston Ranch’s first-ever varsity head coach during the 2004-05 school year when there were no seniors on campus.
Smith is the second coach from Weston Ranch to be named dean of athletics at another school. Former varsity boys basketball coach Bill Slikker is now athletic director at Lathrop High; the district’s newest of its five comprehensive high schools that opened in the fall of 2008.
“Dave Smith is an outstanding human being, first and foremost,” said Weston Ranch athletic director Pat King. “He’s been my go-to guy at Weston Ranch. If I need help, he’s the one who steps up.
“I see nothing but great things coming out of him at Manteca High School. He is very organized and does everything the right way. He doesn’t cut corners and holds people accountable. For me, both personally and professionally, it’s devastating to lose that caliber of a person.”
Inderbitzin and his predecessor, Mark Troutner, the school’s A.D. for seven years, are also graduates of UOP. Smith will meet with Inderbitzin Friday before officially being handed the keys on July 1.
Inderbitzin is in his 14th year at Manteca High, where he has also served as dean of activities. He is stepping down to spend more time with his four children — Katie, 11, Sarah, 10, Ryan 6, Emily, 4 — but is open to the possibility of returning to the post in the future.
“I’m stepping down from a position that I truly love, it just wasn’t the right time in my life to continue,” he said.
His time was short but fruitful.
Inderbitzin’s goal from the start was to continue improving the athletic facilities. Troutner helped start the process during his time as athletic director. The school’s football stadium, Guss Schmiedt Field, got its new scoreboard in 2006, and the Walker Vick Field House, which shelters the football team’s locker room, was constructed nearby.
Inderbitzin’s first task in 2007 was to revamp the varsity baseball diamond. The outfield fence, backstop, dugouts and spectator bleachers were all upgraded.
Since then, work has been done to improve the sound system at the stadium, an electronic scoreboard/clock was appended next to the swimming pool and the shot put and discus areas were completely redone for the track and field team to meet safety standards.
Inderbitzin said that he is in the process of getting new padding up in the wrestling room and that the remodeling of the varsity softball diamond will continue after his time is up.
“The two things I really focused on were safety and improving the look of Manteca High School,” Inderbitzin said. “I wanted to help improve the facilities for all of our sports programs.
“We have a few more cosmetic things that we want to work on, one being the addition of a scoreboard on the baseball field, but you have to do it one step at a time. The way the economy is, it makes it real tough to get sponsors so it’s just not the right time to get everything done at once.”
His favorite project was the celebration of the stadium’s 50th year. On Sept. 25, the Buffaloes played Enochs for its home opener while honoring the Schmiedt family as well as the 1959 football team.
Guss Schmiedt served on the old Manteca Union High School District board for over 40 years and was instrumental in establishing the city’s first state-of-the-art football stadium that bears his name.
Organizing the 50-year anniversary had special meaning to Inderbitzin, a 1985 graduate of East Union but with family ties to Manteca. Both of his parents and grandparents attended the town’s oldest high school.
Inderbitzin will continue to teach driver’s education at Manteca High and help Smith through his first year.
“What I needed to have done for next year is what I am doing right now,” Inderbitzin said. “I’m setting everything up from teachers’ duties to game schedules to transportation assignments to walk-on coaches. I’d like to get everything organized, because the new person is going to have a hard enough time as it is just doing the basic things.”
