PARK CITY — John L. Smith doesn't shy away from thrill-seeking adventures.

Whether it's paragliding off the Matterhorn in Switzerland or running with the bulls in Pamplona, Spain, Smith fills his summers with vacations bold enough to make the faint of heart run and hide.

This summer, however, Smith decided to take it a little bit easy. The former Weber State player and Utah State coach paid a visit to the Big Sky Conference reunion in Park City to catch up with old friends, old coaches and old rivals.

"It was a fun time," Smith said of his days in the Big Sky, where he coached the University of Idaho to several of its best seasons. "We didn't have anything, and we didn't miss anything."

Things have changed mightily for Smith since he coached the Vandals.

He jumped to Utah State for three seasons and had modest success. He left for Louisville after taking the Aggies to the Humanitarian Bowl in 1997.

Now the coach at Michigan State, Smith looked back on his years at USU and said the Aggies may be on the cusp of being a force in the WAC.

"The bottom line in Utah State having problems was not having a league," Smith said. "The savior at Utah State is having a league."

Smith said he left Logan, at least in part, because he knew the Aggies were soon to be independent with the Big West dropping football and the then-16-team WAC not interested. Poor facilities added to USU's struggles.

"It all snowballs going the wrong direction," he said. "Now, it's a new start."

Smith was one of a couple dozen Big Sky alums who showed up to talk, golf and ride the trails at the Canyons resort. One of the people Smith most looked forward to talking to was Sark Arslanian, his former coach at Weber State back in 1969-71.

"He's still telling old lies about me," Smith said.

Smith said he's always got an eye on his nephew, former Ute quarterback Alex Smith, who is now with the San Francisco 49ers.

"He'll do fine," John L. Smith said. "Honestly, rookie quarterbacks shouldn't be allowed to play anyway, but I will say he learned a lot."

Wearing a green Hawaiian shirt embroidered with a Spartan logo, Smith was clearly proud of his progression from school kid in Iona, Idaho, to Weber State player and up the coaching food chain. With a degree of self-confidence many consider cockiness, Smith acknowledges his career has taken him places he never dreamed of when he played for Bonneville High in Idaho Falls.

"When I was a kid back in Iona, I'd sneak in just to watch the (high school) team at practice," he said. "So I had an early insight of what I wanted to do. I know I wanted to (coach) and it didn't matter what level.

"But to take it to where it is now? To think I'd be sitting at a table with Joe Paterno and talking about how things are? No, I never imagined that."

Regardless, Smith is enjoying his time on the sidelines.

Next year, he said his thrill-seeking ways might take him skiing in the Patagonia mountains of Argentina or bungee jumping in New Zealand.

For now, he just enjoys coaching.

"I just like going to work," he said. "I like being around the kids and coaching."

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E-mail: jeborn@desnews.com