John L. Smith — a longtime NCAA Division I head coach with success at six different universities — is entering his second season with the Skyhawks. Smith was hired in the spring of 2013 and is the 12th Fort Lewis head coach since 1963.
In his first season with the Skyhawks (2013), Smith took an 0-10 team in 2012 and went 4-7 in 2013.
At Fort Lewis, Smith is reunited with Hunter, President Dene Kay Thomas and defensive coordinator Ed Rifilato. Hunter was the director of athletics who hired Smith for his first head coaching job at Idaho in 1989, while Thomas served as associate dean at Idaho during his tenure. Rifilato played for Smith at Idaho and served as his director of football operations at Louisville.
Smith has 41 years of collegiate coaching experience, including 20 years as head coach. Most recently, he coached at Arkansas during the 2012 campaign — his sixth head coaching position, following stints at Idaho, Utah State, Louisville, Michigan State and Weber State (2011-12 offseason). As a head coach, Smith has a 136-94 overall record (.591) and produced six conference champions (two each in Conference USA, the Big West and the Big Sky). Twelve of his 19 teams participated in postseason play in either bowl games or the NCAA Division I-AA playoffs. Smith is also one of just 19 head coaches in college football history to take three different schools to a bowl game.
Smith served as special teams coordinator and outside linebackers coach at Arkansas from 2009-11 before departing in December for Weber State. He was rehired as head coach by the Razorbacks in April 2012.
From 2003-06, Smith was the head coach at Michigan State and led the Spartans to a 22-26 overall record. He was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2003 after posting the most wins by a first-year head coach in MSU history with an 8-4 record. During his time in East Lansing, 41 of his student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten honors.
Prior to Michigan State, Smith spent five seasons at Louisville (1998-2002), where he led the Cardinals to then-unprecedented success. He posted a 41-21 record including five straight bowl appearances and back-to-back Conference USA titles in 2000 and 2001. The five bowl trips equaled the number of postseason appearances Louisville had made prior to his arrival and the five consecutive winning seasons marked a first for the program.
Smith spent three seasons as head coach at Utah State (1995-97) prior to Louisville. He finished with a 16-18 record in three seasons after taking over a program that had produced only two winning seasons in the previous 15 years. Smith led the Aggies to consecutive Big West crowns in 1996 and 1997. In 1997, Utah State earned a trip to the Humanitarian Bowl marking the second bowl appearance for the school since 1961.
Smith arrived at Utah State following six seasons at Idaho (1989-94), where he became the winningest coach in school history. His six-year mark of 53-21 at Idaho included a 34-11 Big Sky Conference record and five postseason appearances. He led the Vandals to Big Sky championships in 1989 and 1992.
Before becoming a head coach, Smith spent two years as the defensive coordinator and assistant head coach at Washington State (1987-88) where he served under Dennis Erickson. He also was Erickson’s assistant head coach at Wyoming during the 1986 season. Smith began his first stint at Idaho in 1982, serving as Erickson’s defensive coordinator and assistant head coach for four years (1982-85).
Smith’s coaching experience includes stops at Nevada (1977-81) and Montana (1972-76). During his tenure as defensive coordinator at Nevada, the Wolf Pack led the nation in total defense, scoring defense and rushing defense in 1980. He began his coaching career in 1971 as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Weber State.
A linebacker and a quarterback at Weber State, Smith earned Big Sky Conference scholar-athlete honors in 1971-72. He received his undergraduate degree in physical education with a minor in math in 1971. Smith earned a master’s of science degree in physical education from the University of Montana in 1974.
Smith lettered in three sports — football, basketball and track — while attending Bonneville High School in Idaho Falls, Idaho. He is married to the former Diana Flora. They are parents of three children, Nicholas, Kayse and Sam. He’s also the uncle to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Alex Smith.
An avid outdoorsman, the mountains helped lure Smith to Durango. He has climbed the 19,340-foot Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, run with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, para-glided in Switzerland, flown a T-38 Talon jet trainer in Texas and skydived in Indiana.
He replaces Cesar Rivas-Sandoval as head coach of the Skyhawks. Rivas-Sandoval announced his resignation as head coach on Jan. 9. Past FLC head coaches include Rivas-Sandoval (2010-12, 6-25), Rifilato (2004-09, 22-41), Todd Throckmorton (2000-03, 11-33), Todd Wash (1996-99, 11-31), Dave Preszler (1994-95, 6-15), Kevin Donnalley (1992-93, 2-18), Sheldon Keresey (1988-91, 6-32), Bill Cooke (1984-87, 20-16-1), Gary Barnett (1982-83, 8-11-1), Jay McNitt (1971-81, 46-56-1) and Lou Cullen (1963-70, 20-49).
Three other men served brief stints as head coach or interim head coach, but accepted other assignments prior to coaching a game at Fort Lewis: Casey “Gus” Bradley and Robert Prince between the 1995 and ’96 seasons and Johnny Cox between the 1999 and 2000 seasons. All three of those coaches have enjoyed lengthy careers in the NFL, with Bradley currently serving as head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars.
