Linfield is
coach Joseph Smith's likely future for years to come
By Nick Daschel
for Oregonian 12/10/2015 electronically, 12/11/2015 in print
McMINNVILLE -- Joseph Smith is just Linfield's fourth football coach since 1968, and in his mind, it would take something very appealing to get him to leave his current post.
But someone with Smith's resume is
bound to eventually catch the attention of someone prominent. It's why Smith
says his future at Linfield is year-to-year, as it's been since he became the
Wildcats' head coach in 2006.
In 10 seasons at Linfield, Smith is
94-17, a winning percentage of .847, best in school history.
"You just don't leave Linfield
to be coach somewhere else unless it's a really good place. There aren't a lot
of jobs that interest me. I have kids in high school, and I'm not ever going to
be a coach who moves six times in six years," Smith said.
Smith says he get "inquiries
pretty much every year." He says salary is comparable at most places in
NCAA Division III, Division II and FCS.
"I-A (FBS) is where the payout
is," Smith said. "But it's so different at the Division I level, with
the guys you have there. I love where we're working and believe in what we're
doing."
The last Linfield football coach to
leave was Jay Locey, who like Smith, led the program for 10 years and won an
NCAA Division III title in 2004.
But the circumstances were different
for Locey than Smith. Locey left to become an assistant coach at Oregon State,
where he was reunited with childhood friend Mike Riley. Locey's aging parents
lived in Corvallis, as well as other family and friends. Locey spent nine years
at OSU before leaving to become football coach at Lewis & Clark.
"He was a Beaver. It's different
for me. I played here. There's really not a place I dreamed of coaching
at," Smith said.
That's not entirely true.
"At one time, I thought I'd
coach in the NFL and coach the Oakland Raiders. That's what I thought as a
kid," Smith said.
Smith doesn't expect the Raiders to
call any time soon. But another coaching job of intrigue? It's a possible phone
call for some future day.
"I imagine there will be a job
someday that I'll be interested in enough to strongly consider it," Smith
said.
