DESTIN, Fla. — John L. Smith is not campaigning to have “interim” taken off his head coach title, at least not off the field.
When he was announced as the coach who could hold Arkansas’ team and staff together, Smith did something he had likely never done before. He lost the news conference.
He tried too hard to be funny. He tried too hard to be charming. He even tried too hard to prove he knew how to be a head football coach.
The people in that room understood what was going on, that he was trying to add some humor to a program that had none the past four years.
Problem was, the news conference was broadcast nationally and the people who didn’t know that John L. has a huge sense of humor thought he really didn’t know Knile Davis’ name.
Davis was at the news conference and he laughed when John L. referred to him as “K-Nile.”
The word is John L. didn’t overwhelm at one or two of his speaking events when he said, “Head coach. Head coach.”
Understand that more than three years ago, John L. thought his days as a head coach were finished. Any thought he would be back on top of a BCS conference school was one that happened only in his dreams.
John L. had built successful programs everywhere he had been hired until he went to Michigan State, which was not a fit for him, and it is also where he and his wife, Diane, found out she had cancer.
He was terminated in 2006 and was out of football until Bobby Petrino hired his mentor in 2009 as an assistant coach at Arkansas. Last December, he was hired as head coach at tiny Weber State, his alma mater.
John L. took a 50 percent cut in pay, $140,000, to become a head coach again.
Since coming back to Arkansas with one shot at the brass ring, he has left several messages for Petrino, the guy who was like a son to him for many years, but has yet to hear back.
It was no surprise Tuesday morning that John L. attracted the majority of the reporters for his 20-minute news conference.
Word among the media is John L. is a good quote. He will practically write your story for you.
That was the John L. who has tried way too hard to win the off season.
He opened with a little joke about his lack of knowledge when it comes to technology: “My wife asked me why I wasn’t using the hotel Wi-Fi and saving the batteries.”
It go t a laugh. Most know John L. is almost adaily tweeter on his Twitter account.
After that joke, he settled in and spoke clear and precise coachese.
He talked about how the team had its best spring academically in many years.
He talked about how he has sensed his team has locked arms, and that he feels the fan base will do the same for the players.
He was clear that this season will be a challenge, that there are never easy years in the SEC, and that while it was good to get Alabama and LSU at home - “Home, not just Little Rock, but home home.” - there is no greater challenge in coaching than preparing a team for an SEC game.
Much has been written about the brave and daring John L., who has climbed mountains, sky-dived and ran with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain.
“Those don’t even compare to the challenge of this upcoming season,” he said.
Someone piped up with, “Like running with the Hogs?”
John L. smiled, and then went right back to talking about the team and the players.
John L. Smith wants to be the head coach of the Arkansas Razorbacks, and he knows his only shot is to win on the field.
Sports, Pages 19 on 05/31/2012