Louisville's John L. Smith was named MSU's 23rd football head coach during a Thursday night press conference at the Clara Bell Smith Student-Athlete Academic Center.
He replaces Bobby Williams, who was fired midseason on Nov. 4.
Smith's contract, a six-year deal for an unspecified amount, is set to be approved as a special MSU Board of Trustees meeting at 10 a.m. Monday, said MSU Assistant Athletics Director Jon Lewandowski.
"The decision to come to Michigan State was very, very easy for me," Smith said Thursday, adding one of his dreams is to coach a Rose Bowl team. "When you grow up, you see Michigan State vs. Michigan, Michigan State vs. Notre Dame and Michigan State vs. Ohio State, and that's what you get used to - and that's really the pinnacle.
"As a football coach, this is like a dream come true. I feel blessed and I feel honored to be here as your coach. And I can promise you this - you will see a good product."
And his past successes could be just what MSU needs, Athletics Director Ron Mason said.
Louisville finished the season with a 7-6 record, ending with a 38-15 loss to Marshall on Wednesday night in the GMAC Bowl. But the 54-year-old Idaho native also is responsible for turning a 1-10 Louisville squad in 1997 into an 11-2 team by 2001.
He led his last six teams to bowl games and coached at Utah State and Idaho before moving to Louisville in 1998. Smith was named Conference USA Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2001.
Mason said he first contacted Smith four weeks ago about the position and received permission from Louisville officials on Wednesday to offer Smith the job.
Mason said Smith will be a perfect fit at MSU.
"Look at his record," Mason said of Smith's 110-60 collegiate coaching mark. "He's been to three different spots, rebuilt teams and taken them to championships. They were always the right way. No NCAA violations, none whatsoever. That more than supersedes any one point in one season.
"He did have difficulties this year and he dealt with them. They were not let go. He dealt with them at the time, and they still ended up in a bowl."
Mason's comments come on the heels of a season in which MSU finished 4-8 overall and had three of its four co-captains either suspended or benched for problems on and off the field.
Smith said he will handle problems from his gridders and he specifically responded to a question about suspended quarterback Jeff Smoker's situation. Smoker was indefinitely suspended for substance abuse problems. He has since sought treatment.
"Here's the way we deal with problems: In any family, you're going to have problems," Smith said. "I will give that particular individual an opportunity to overcome that problem.
"We as coaches are in this profession to make a difference in somebody's life. And if we can save somebody, and that person has a good heart, then we're going to give that player an opportunity to overcome the problem.
"It has nothing to do with his play on the field. I haven't even seen Jeff throw a ball. That decision may be made over the course of a semester. A lot of times you have to lay some things out and say, 'This is what you have to do to get back on this football team.' And we'll see if that happens. I'm not saying that's going to happen, I'm saying it could happen."
He added all his "blue chip" recruits will have character and he hopes 75 percent of his athletes will graduate. Smith already has the support of Lewandowski, who served the same post at Utah State where Smith used to be coach.
"I thoroughly enjoyed working with him before and I look forward to being reunited with him," said Lewandowski, MSU athletics chief spokesman. "He's a tireless worker. I think he's a diamond in the rough."
Mason is also pleased with Smith, especially with his commitment to bringing stability to a program that has seen eight coaches in the past 30 years
