Fred Smith has resigned as cross country coach at Blue Mountain College, school officials announced Dec. 11.

Smith, who began the BMC cross country program three years ago, and his wife, Wendy, will move to Colorado Springs, Colo., to be near their daughter, son-in-law and three grandchildren.

"This has really been a tough decision," Smith said. "It's tough to leave anytime, but when you've had a hand in starting a program from scratch, it's really difficult. This has been a big part of my life the past three years. I've worked with some great young people and it will be very hard to leave them."

"Blue Mountain College is indebted to Coach Smith for his leadership in establishing the cross country program," Dr. Bettye Rogers Coward, BMC president, said. "His skills as a coach are exceptional and his character is impeccable. He has laid the foundation for the program upon which others can build."

Smith is a native of Ripley and graduate of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. He spent more than 15 years teaching and coaching in private schools in Pennsylvania and Mississippi, before returning to his alma mater - Ripley High - in 2000. He was the track and cross country coach there until joining BMC in fall 2007 on a part-time basis.

He launched the college's cross country program while also teaching and coaching at Ripley. In 2008 he coached the Ripley High boys track team to a Class 3A state championship, then moved to BMC fulltime that fall.

He said he would remain at BMC "at least until spring break."

"I'll keep working until then," he said. "We'll start training as soon as we get back from Christmas break, and we'll also keep recruiting for next year. It will be business as usual the next couple of months - our program has improved each year and we're not going to let that slip."

Lavon Driskell, BMC athletics director, said losing Smith was a blow to the college but that he understood the decision.

"Anytime you lose a person of Coach Smith's character, work ethic and individual qualities, it saddens you to see them go," Driskell said. "Not only did he do a great job with our cross country program but I consider him to be a good friend, and I wish nothing but the best for Fred and his entire family."

Driskell said BMC was in the process of putting together a plan for searching for a new coach.