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WATCH: Interim Penn State coach Terry Smith shares emotional message about what earning his first win meant

Greg Pickelby: Greg Pickel4 hours agoGregPickel

As he ended his Monday news conference to kick off Nebraska week, interim Penn State head coach Terry Smith quipped, ‘No stories about me being a big crybaby.’ With apologies to the Lions letterman, we’re writing one anyway, because fans of the program deserve to see the passion Smith put on display when discussing his first win after replacing James Franklin. He needed time to gather himself after tearing up while reflecting about what it meant to not only beat Michigan State last Saturday but also be in the head coach’s seat at his alma mater.

“I have two phones,” Smith said. “Each phone had about 500 text messages on it, plus direct messages was like another five or 600. So, it was really busy. I’ve been reached out to by basically every person I’ve ever known in my entire life. People are super proud of me. It’s just humbling sitting in this seat.

“There’s so many people in my life that speak life into me, and they all reach out. I’m just so blessed. God has been so good to me through everything in my life. I have the opportunity to be the head coach of Penn State. I don’t think anything has made me or my family happier than this opportunity. I’m thankful for all my friends, my family, my supporters. Saturday was, I can’t even tell you how I felt. I’ve never been lifted off off the field in my career. A great moment.”

You can watch Smith speak in the video clip below from BWI’s Thomas Frank Carr:

MORE: Has Terry Smith interviewed for the fulltime Penn State head coaching job? Here’s what he said on Monday

Later in the news conference, Smith answered why Penn State means so much to him.

“My dad graduated in ’68,” Smith said. “It’s all we know. I’m from a small town called Aliquippa, Pennsylvania, and it’s not a very nice place. My dad, through his education at Penn State, moved us to the other side of Pittsburgh, to Monroeville, Pennsylvania, and he gave us a better life because of his education here, and it taught our entire family about possibilities in life, and you can be whatever you want to be, and this place has done so much for me and my family.

“I think we have nine or 10 family members that have Penn State degrees. Have, I think three that are students now, family members. This place is special. It’s amazing. I just want to give back to it. I just want to make sure I’m holding my end up of the bargain and putting out a team that everyone can be proud of.”

You can watch Smith’s full news conference at the top of this page.