John L. Smith introduced as new Arkansas coach
FAYETTEVILLE, ARK. (AP) - John L. Smith reintroduced himself to Arkansas by providing a dose of exactly what the school needed.
Smith pounced on every question about his surprise hire with a smile, showing the same level of enthusiasm and energy the Razorbacks had come to expect during his three seasons as an assistant.
The guy asked to pick up the pieces following the scandal-tainted ouster of Bobby Petrino handled everything thrown his way Tuesday and left little doubt he was up to the challenge of serving as a mentor in the post-Petrino era.
"The reason you get into coaching again is hopefully I can make a difference in a young man's life," Smith said at his introductory news conference with a handful of players watching nearby. "Maybe I can be something special to that young man. So that's the reason you're in it. So hopefully, that's going to continue."
While Smith is charged with serving as a role model as Arkansas' coach, he was equally adamant about keeping the Razorbacks in the thick of the Southeastern Conference and national championship races.
"I want to say that our expectations are the same," Smith said. "Nothing is going to slow down. In fact, we're going to speed up. Our expectations are that we're going to battle and fight for a national title."
Those unfamiliar with Smith's ebullient personality, and those used to Petrino's low-key ways, quickly discovered that times have definitely changed in Fayetteville.
The 63-year-old Smith, who was an assistant for Arkansas the last three seasons under Petrino, is back after leaving the school in December to become the head coach at Weber State. He returns to a program that finished No. 5 last season and has even higher goals in the fall.
It's a program now led by the sometimes quirky and outgoing Smith, known as much for his adrenaline-seeking ways as for head coaching stints at Michigan State and Louisville, among others over 18 years. He's run with the bulls in Spain, climbed Mount Kilimanjaro and loves to skydive.
Smith, who signed a 10-month, $850,000 contract that will allow athletic director Jeff Long to reassess Arkansas' coaching situation after next season, said he hasn't been skydiving in a couple of years. He said the decision to leave his alma mater after five months without coaching a game required a similar leap of faith, one made easier by his familiarity with the Razorbacks' coaching staff and players.
"I guess I've always kind of been that way, to a degree," Smith said. "If there's a door open, walk through it. If there's a window, jump out of it. It's like my wife (Diana) said, `This is just another one of your adventures.'"
Smith replaces Petrino, who replaced Smith at Louisville after the 2002 season. The two have worked together on four different coaching staffs in their careers, but Smith said he hasn't talked with the former Arkansas coach since he was fired April 10 for not disclosing his affair with a woman, Jessica Dorrell, he later hired as his assistant. Dorrell has resigned.
Smith has a 132-86 record as a head coach, including stops at Michigan State, Louisville, Idaho and Utah State. Long said he hadn't considered bringing Smith back as head coach until assistant athletic director Jon Fagg told him Smith had contacted the school with interest.
Smith said leaving Weber State was "one of the toughest decisions of my life." After nearly two weeks of searching for a solution, Long finally made up his mind to go with Smith Sunday night.
"I obviously said, `Wow. I should be thinking about John L.," Long said. "This was the best decision for this team for the 2012 season."
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