Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Former Basic and Cimarron coaches inducted into Hall of Fame

Cliff Frazier

File photo

Cliff Frazier, who coached Basic football for more than 20 years, celebrates a Henderson Bowl victory in 2004 with his team. Frazier is being inducted into the Southern Nevada Coaches Association Hall of Fame Saturday.

Between the two of them, Ron Smeltzer and Cliff Frazier have more than seven decades of coaching experience.

For their dedication to football in the state, both have been inducted into the Southern Nevada Coaches Association Hall of Fame.

Smeltzer, who retired after last season as head coach at Cimarron-Memorial, and Frazier, who coaches at Calvary Chapel after 24 years at Basic, will both be honored during the state semifinal at Arbor View on Nov. 29.

"I'm really happy about it, but kind of surprised. The honor could probably go to a better person but I'll gladly accept it," Smeltzer said.

After playing for Westchester University in Pennsylvania in the mid 1960s, Smeltzer began his coaching journey as a graduate assistant with Colorado from 1968 to 69. He was hired as the offensive line coach at UC Santa Barbara for two years.

When that program dissolved, former UNLV football coach Bill Ireland passed through California looking for players when he met Smeltzer and offered him the offensive line coaching job with the Rebels. Smeltzer agreed and coached in Las Vegas through 1977. He then served as head coach for a high school in Anaheim, Calif., from 1979-1983.

After that, Smeltzer spent 10 years coaching in the Canadian Football League, including head coach of the Ottawa Rough Riders for two seasons. He then returned to Las Vegas to coach the Las Vegas Posse of the same league for one season in 1994 before the team folded.

After uprooting his wife Joyce and sons Toby and Jake five times in 10 years, Smeltzer took an assistant coaching job at Cimarron-Memorial in 1995 intent on remaining in Las Vegas. He helped the Spartans win state titles in 1998 and 1999 before taking the head coaching job at Coronado from 2000-01. Smeltzer returned to Cimarron as head coach in 2002 for six years.

"It's hard to believe I'm retired. Sometimes I find myself thinking I should still be out there," Smeltzer said. "I have a ton of friends I've met through coaching. I think there is more camaraderie with coaching than any job you could have."

Frazier played for Southern Colorado State College from 1969-1971. Shortly thereafter, he moved to Las Vegas and took an assistant coaching job at Clark where he instructed offensive linemen and linebackers from 1973-1977. He then took the same position at Chaparral for six more seasons.

Frazier said he then "found a home" at Basic where he served as an assistant for eight years before taking over the head coaching duties in 1992.

He left following last season to take the athletic director and head coaching position at Calvary Chapel, which competes in the state's 2A classification.

"God willing, I'd like to coach another 10 years. That's really the truth," Frazier said. "I figure by then, that will be 45 years of education and coaching, so maybe that will be enough."

Frazier said he was ecstatic when he heard he would be inducted.

"It wasn't one of those things I really thought would happen to me," he said. "My biggest honor is seeing the success our kids have after they leave our program. Knowing you had some kind of impact on their lives is probably the greatest thing most coaches have to look forward to."

Christopher Drexel can be reached at 990-8929 or [email protected].

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