NATCHEZ — The Natchez-Adams School District killed two birds with one stone in Thursday’s school board meeting as they named head football and baseball coaches for Natchez High School.

Melvin Pete Jr., was officially introduced as NHS’ head football coach while Dan Smith was named the baseball coach.

Pete played quarterback at Jackson State University, where his father Melvin Pete Sr., coached at for 25 years, and his last coaching stop was in Indianola at Gentry High School.

Before then, Pete coached on the college and high school level in Mississippi and Alabama. He coached Central High School in Alabama for five years, leading the program to a 33-23 record and a Alabama High School Athletic Association Class 4A state title in 2007.

Central High only won one game in 2004, before honing a perfect 15-0 record in 2007.

Prior to his high school coaching career, Pete was the offensive coordinator at Stillman College and the quarterbacks coach at Bethune-Cookman University.

Pete is attending the Mississippi High School Athletic Association football clinic throughout the weekend, and will return to Natchez Monday to meet his players.

Smith is a Natchez native who played baseball for the Bulldogs in 1998 before playing collegiately at Alcorn State University. He also played semi-professional baseball for the Tri-city Pirates in Pennsylvania.

He started coaching baseball in Amite County before returning to NHS in 2004 and 2005. He then went to Port Gibson and finally Vicksburg High School before returning full circle to Natchez High.

Smith said he would meet most of his new players today.