When students use the gymnasium at Forest High School and inspect the scoreboard, they can also see the gym's namesake of Durwood Smith who is a legend in the history of Forest athletics. Smith was a native of Greene County, but considered Forest his hometown. Smith coached for 34 years, coaching baseball, basketball, football and track. He held coaching positions at Crossroads High School in Pelahatchie, Forest High School, Morton High School, Pearl High School and Mississippi College. During his career, he guided girls basketball teams to 602 wins and 140 losses; boys basketball teams to 2748 wins and 173 losses; and earned respectable records in coaching baseball, football and track. He guided teams to numerous championships including state girls basketball titles in 1954, 1955, 1960, 1964, 1969 and 1973. The 1954 and 1964 girls teams won overall state titles with undefeated records. He won 14 Little Dixie Conference titles with girls and boys teams. He won numerous honors including coach of the year in Little Dixie Conference in 1963-1964 and was named Mississippi High School All-Star Basketball Coach three times and was name Mississippi Coach of the Year in 1973-1974. Smith alos served on the Board of Directors for the Mississippi Association of Coaches and as president and vice president of the Little Dixie Conference. He was honored by the Mississippi State Senate and House of Representatives in 1984 for his coachingt achievements. Coach Smith passed away on January 7, 1995.