Aug. 25, 2004

BELLINGHAM, Wash. - There is no doubt in Rob Smith's mind that when he began his head football coaching career at Western Washington University in 1989, he just happened to be at the right place at the right time. But history has proven he also was the right person. "He was our first choice," remembered Western director of athletics Lynda Goodrich. "He had the abilities and passion that we needed." Sixteen years later and still at the helm, Smith has taken a program that had won just four games, one of those by forfeit, during a four-year stretch in the early `80s, and guided it to unimaginable heights as a national championship contender and routinely one of the top Northwest teams every year. In the process, Smith stands on the threshold of accomplishing something only two college coaching legends in the state of Washington have ever done: win 100 games. With a school-record 99 victories already secured, Smith will reach the milestone with his first win this season. Not bad for a coach who came Western as an assistant in 1987 with no head coaching experience. "When I came in 1987, I believed it was a temporary stop," said Smith. "I never thought I'd be named head coach 18 months later." But did he have any clue that he would be around 16 years later? "I never envisioned I'd be here this long," he said. "It never crossed my mind." Smith's lengthy tenure puts him in distinguished company among Western coaches. Charles Lappenbusch holds the record with 20 seasons and, until Smith came along, the record for victories with 81. Sam Carver and Boyde Long are right behind Smith, having coached 14 and 13 seasons, respectively. But what sets Smith apart from all other Western coaches and almost every other college football coach in the state's history, is not the quantity of his teams but the quality. Among his teams' achievements: * A 99-52-1 record, which ranks him behind only former Pacific Lutheran coach Frosty Westering (261) and former Washington coach Don James (153) in wins and gives him the school's highest winning percentage (.655) for any football coach who directed the program more than one year. * A streak of 12 non-losing seasons, six more than the school's previous record, and eight seasons with seven or more victories, which was only done five times in the school's first 78 seasons. * Five national playoff appearances, including reaching the NAIA Division II championship game in 1996. Prior to Smith's arrival, Western had never reached the national playoffs. * Six league championships in the past nine seasons, just one less than the 11 coaches managed in nearly eight decades before Smith. "The records were never part of the plan," said Smith. "But I have a tremendous respect for both Frosty and Coach James. That's a good feeling." What the program has accomplished under Smith's guidance is nothing short of amazing, especially considering the state it was in before he arrived. After winning the NAIA District 1 championship in 1976 and playing in that game again in 1977, the Vikings began a free fall that included nine straight losing seasons, including only 11 victories in seven seasons from 1980 to 1986, a victory total that Smith's 1996 squad achieved by itself. Goodrich became director of athletics in 1986 and one of her early decisions was to upgrade the football program. That renewed emphasis included hiring for the first time a full-time assistant, who turned out to be Smith. It was the first hire for Goodrich, and remains one of her smartest. "Football was struggling," said Goodrich. "The program needed more resources and more coaches. The first thing we did was hire Rob full-time. I wanted to take the program the next step up." If that wasn't astute enough of Goodrich, hiring Smith as the head coach two years later proved to be brilliant. Not that he was an obvious choice at the time. While his playing resume included an illustrious career at Hoquiam High School, three letters under James at Washington and even a Rose Bowl appearance in 1978, his only football coaching experience was as an assistant at Renton High for five years. "You weigh what your instincts tell you," said Goodrich, who also hired "first-timers" Carmen Dolfo and Diane Flick who have gone on to great coaching careers in women's basketball and volleyball, respectively, at Western. "Somebody has to give them that first opportunity. If you think they're going to be good, why not hire them right now? "We advertised and the cream rose to the top. Rob was the first choice." It didn't take long for Smith to prove his worth. Western soared to new heights in his first season, going 7-2, being nationally ranked for the first time in school history and finishing No.21 in the nation. The successful seasons kept coming. In 1992 the Vikings made their first NAIA national playoff appearance, in 1994 they defeated top-ranked Linfield for their first-ever national playoff victory, in 1995 they were 9-0 for the school's first undefeated regular season in 57 seasons and a No.1 ranking for five weeks, in 1996 they reached the NAIA national championship game for the first time in school history in any sport, and in 1999 qualified for the NCAA Division II national playoffs for the first time. The individual teams' successes have brought Smith so much individual recognition that his coach of the year awards would fill a trophy case by themselves. He was honored by the Columbia Football Association in 1989, 1995, 1996, 1999 and 2000, the Great Northwest Athletic Conference in 2001 and 2003, and the American Football Coaches Association College Division Region V in 1995 and 1996. The individual awards, however, mean little compared to the program's ongoing success, said Smith. "I'm most proud of the credibility that the program now has," he said. "We have been able to raise Western football to a level of respect. And that means more than any personal accomplishments." The program's credibility has reached beyond even the Northwest.. "I have a tremendous respect for Western and the program they run under Rob's direction," said UC Davis coach Bob Biggs, whose team recently moved from NCAA II to Division I-AA. "It is first-class. The kids play the game the right way. They play hard and they play to the last whistle, but they're always gentlemen out there and are willing to congratulate opponents after the game." And give Smith credit for the program's respect, say friend and foe alike. "It is really difficult to take a program that is not a winner and transform it into a winner," said Goodrich. "But he had a vision for what it could be. He really should take pride in his program; his players graduate, they are good citizens, and he really works at it." Besides hard work, Smith added a creative touch that Biggs said he envied. "I've always thought that Rob himself is a very innovative offensive coach," said Biggs. "His teams are always extremely well-prepared. There have been many a time I've actually stolen some ideas that I've seen on the film that they did and used in our program. So, I have the greatest respect for him and it doesn't surprise me that he's going to reach the 100-win milestone early in his career. He's a terrific coach and we'll miss playing him." For Smith, however, the success has come for the most part because he keeps his priorities straight. One of his top priorities is recruiting solid student athletes who happen to be good football players, and not the other way around. One of those, co-captain Rob White, points out the simplicity of Smith's philosophy: make sure the right players fit in and then have them do the right things. "Coach asks our opinions on what we think of recruits," said the senior safety, who also happens to be the GNAC Male Scholar Athlete for 2003-04. "He really cares about guys who have the right chemistry. What we do isn't that complicated, but if we do the right thing, and do our job, then we will succeed." Smith may have a winning formula, but he also knows the importance of flexibility. "When you start, you have a plan, but you don't know if it'll work," he said. "You have to keep changing. There's always a change in players and assistant coaches. I've changed. "I really don't have any regrets. I'd so some things differently, some calls along the way, but not any regrets." Not even leaving Western and moving "up" to a Division I coaching position? Smith laughs. He's been there as a player and knows that there are positives and negatives at the more-publicized level just as there are for smaller colleges. "Coaching at Division I is not a goal; if it happens it happens," said Smith, who was the first Husky to play for Don James to be named a college head coach. "But I have the greatest respect for the players at this level. They don't get near the rewards, but the thrills and enjoyment is the same. Sure, there are some real frustrations at this level, but there's a lot of positives. My No.1 goal is to give my players a good experience. And I'm' just as motivated now as I was in 1989." That's good, because his boss doesn't want him resting on his laurels, as impressive as they may be. When Goodrich, Smith's longtime friend, was asked what she would say to him when the inevitable 100th victory was reached, she was quick to answer: "I'd say, `Congratulations. Now start working on the next 100.'"