Steelers Great Aaron Smith to Coach Boys Basketball at Eden Christian

Former Pittsburgh Steelers defensive end Aaron Smith will be the next boys basketball coach at Eden Christian Academy, according to a report by Mike White of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

Smith, 46, played defensive end for the Steelers from 1999-2011, winning two Super Bowls and was a Pro Bowl selection in 2004. He retired from the NFL in 2012 and has since served as an assistant football and basketball coach at North Allegheny.

Now Smith will take the reins at Eden Christian, a small private school that is relatively new to the WPIAL but has already had a lot of success. The Warriors went 13-9 last season and 7-3 in conference play before losing to Geibel in the second round of the WPIAL playoffs. Former Eden coach Todd Aiken resigned after the season.

In addition to his obvious football skills, Smith also has a strong basketball background. He was an all-conference basketball player at Sierra High in Colorado Springs, Colorado before choosing to pursue his football career, starting out at Division I-AA Northern Colorado.

The Steelers drafted Smith in the fourth round of the 1999 NFL Draft and he became a quick and reliable starter, appearing in every game at defensive end from 2000-06. Injuries slowed him down later in his career and a neck injury in 2011 marked the end of his career. He finished his NFL career with 453 tackles, 44 sacks and one interception.

Smith is the second former Steelers player to join a WPIAL coaching staff this week. Former Steelers inside linebacker Vince Williams recently joined the football coaching staff at Pine-Richland under new head coach Jon LeDonne.

Eden Christian, which is located in Ohio Township near Sewickley, was founded in 1983, but has only been participating in WPIAL athletics since 2010. The school’s baseball team is currently undefeated and in the WPIAL quarterfinals.