Steve Smith said he only had two dreams in life once he started coaching football.
The first dream was to coach in the National Football League. He crossed that off the list early in his coaching career.
The second dream was to become a head coach. He crossed that off the list Tuesday.
Lincoln University introduced Smith as its new head football coach Tuesday morning at a press conference held on campus at Page Library.
"The one thing that I know that this university is looking for is a winner," Smith said. "The key point for me is to deliver that."
Smith becomes the 22nd head coach in the football program's history, taking the place of interim head coach Lee Johnson, who took the helm for the final seven games of the 2016 season. Mike Jones began the season as the Blue Tigers head coach but was fired Sept. 25 after Lincoln lost its first four games of the season.
Lincoln finished the 2016 season with a 1-10 record.
Smith comes to Lincoln after serving the past four seasons as the offensive coordinator and offensive line coach at Albany State (Ga.), an NCAA Division II school in the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
In his 18-year coaching career, Smith has had coaching internships in the NFL with the New Orleans Saints (2002), Dallas Cowboys (2003-06), Miami Dolphins (2008) and Cleveland Browns (2011). He has also had coaching stops in NFL Europe as an offensive line coach and a running backs coach.
"What I've done in the past doesn't matter anymore," said Smith, a 39-year-old native of Chicago. "Where I'm going is the important part. If you dwell on what you did in the past, then you'll stay in the past. But if you focus on your future, then your future is bright."
According to Lincoln athletic director John Moseley, Smith was one of more than 80 candidates to apply for the head coaching position. Five were granted phone interviews and from there, two candidates were on campus last week for in-person interviews.
Moseley said he wanted to announce the hiring no later than Dec. 15, so players would know of their new head coach before they left campus for the winter break.
"His energy and his passion jump right out at you when you have conversations with him," Moseley said of Smith. "He really wanted to be at Lincoln University, which is an important quality. He understands the challenge that he faces, but he also understands that this is a much better job now than it was three months ago."
Moseley added none of the coaches on Lincoln's staff from this past season applied for the head coaching job.
At the press conference, Moseley acknowledged the Student Government Association and student body for the recently-added student athletic fee implemented to improve Lincoln athletics.
One of the improvements from the fee will come in the form of increased scholarships for athletic teams. Moseley said football was previously funded at a level of 18 scholarships, half the total allowed by the NCAA. The athletic fee will allow Lincoln to fund close to 28 football scholarships.
"We're at a transitional phase in our athletic program and in our football program," Lincoln president Dr. Kevin Rome said. "One thing that we're committed to is excellence in everything that we do, in the classroom and outside the classroom, and that means winning. We know we've had some challenging, lean years the past few years, but that's going to turn around now."
One of the key items Smith discussed at the press conference was player recruitment. He said he plans to build a fence around the central Missouri area, targeting players from Jefferson City, Helias and Blair Oaks, as well as other schools within a 30-mile radius. This past season, the Blue Tigers only had seven players from the central Missouri area on their roster.
Smith also has intentions to expand the fence to surround the Missouri state border.
"We're going to blitz Missouri," Smith said. "It's important to have your own. You fill up the stands with your student body and your community. The more players that we have from the community, the more players that we have from the state of Missouri, it's going to help revenue within the school."
From there, Smith added he plans to recruit players in areas that are home to Lincoln alums, such as Memphis, Chicago and Miami, as well as California and many southern states.
As far as building his coaching staff, Smith eluded that he will hire some assistants with local ties. He plans to have his staff finalized by the end of next week.
"Everybody I'll be bringing in has had success," Smith said.
On the field, Smith said it's another about how many points per game Lincoln can average. It's about finding ways to keep the defense off the field and win the time-of-possession battle, which proved to be a struggle for the Blue Tigers this past season.
"My craft and my dominance is up front," Smith said. "When you build a team, your offensive line has to be the best of the best. Your defensive line has to be the best of the best."
Some players had a chance to meet with Smith prior to the press conference, but most were in class or taking finals. The whole team got the chance to meet with Smith on Tuesday night.
There were a few times at the press conference when Smith said his goal for the team is to win a national championship. He acknowledged that many people might find that goal too lofty, especially for a team looking for its first winning season since 1972, but he still said it's his goal nonetheless.
"You have to teach success," Smith said. "You can't get results if you don't put the work in. I spoke with a few guys this morning and I explained that to them. It's all about how hard you work. Nobody gets a job by just sitting down.
"If we talk about just winning the conference, then that's all we'll do. But if you talk about winning a national championship, then that's what your focus is. Everything else comes with it."