A 1988 graduate of Cherokee County High School, Steve Smith played quarterback for legendary head coach Bobby Joe Johnson. He helped lead the Warriors to two area football championships and was an all-state honorable mention selection as a senior.

Smith passed for a then-school record 1,173 yards and 12 touchdowns in 1987 and was the school record holder for career passing yards with over 2,100 yards.

After graduating from high school as the class valedictorian, Smith went on to play at Jacksonville State (1988-91) where he was part of three Gulf South Conference championship teams under head coach Bill Burgess. Smith also served as a graduate assistant on the Gamecocks' 1992 Division II national championship team.

After graduating from JSU, Smith had a successful 11-year football coaching reign at Class 1A Cedar Bluff, which includes an 85-45 record with 10 playoff wins and six region championships. Smiths 1997 team ended the regular season with a perfect 10-0 record, completing the schools first undefeated season since the storied days of coach L.D. Bruce in the 1960s.

Coach Smith, at the age of 35, accepted the position of head coach and athletic director at Piedmont High School in 2006. In 17 years at Piedmont, he guided the Bulldogs to a 198-36 record, which includes a 52-12 mark in the playoffs with five state championships, two state runners-up, and 10 region titles.

In 2023, Smith retired from the public sector and accepted the athletic director and head football coaching position at Class 3A Westbrook Christian in Rainbow City.

Coach Smith's overall record in 30 seasons is 294-90 and 62-22 in the playoffs. His 161-28 region record ranks among the best in the state. His teams have also won sixteen region titles.

In 2017, Smith was the head coach of the Alabama squad versus Mississippi in the annual all-star rivalry. Smith was an assistant under then-Oxford coach John Grass on the Alabama staff in 2008 then again in 2016, with UMS-Wright's Terry Curtis.

Additionally, he was the head coach of the Alabama North team in North-South All-Star game in 2013 and an assistant coach in 2003.

Coach Smith was named the Class 3A Coach of the Year by the Alabama Sports Writers Association (ASWA) in 2009.

In 2005 and 2015, Smith was chosen by his peers as the Alabama Football Coaches Association (ALFCA) Coach of the Year.

In 2014, he was honored by the AHSAA with the prestigious ''Making A Difference'' award.

In 2018, Smith was appointed to the ALFCA Board of Directors.

Smith, and his wife Rachel, were both inducted into the Cherokee County Sports Hall of Fame in 2024.