Coach Smith is beginning his 15th year as a coach in the Cook Tennis Program. He began his work in the tennis program in 2005 as the head coach of the middle school team and an assistant on the varsity staff with Head Coach Bobby Jones. Coach Smith served as the assistant coach until he was named head boys coach in 2012 (with his wife Margaret serving as the girls coach). In 2014 John assumed the role of head coach for both the boys and girls team. Since becoming head coach, the tennis teams at Cook have won 6 region championships (2 boys, and 4 girls).

Coach Smith is a 1999 graduate of Cook High School, where he played varsity tennis all four years and varsity basketball his senior year. As a player, the Hornets advanced to the only Final Four appearance in program history. The boys compiled a 48-13 record and two region runner-up finishes during his playing time.

He is also a graduate of Valdosta State University (2005) and Walden University (2010 M.Ed, 2013 Ed.S.) He is in his fifteenth year as a teacher at Cook Middle School. In addition to tennis, Coach Smith is also the varsity softball coach at Cook High School. Coach Smith is married to Margaret Smith, and they have one son, John Aiden, and a daughter, Sophie Matilda.