REGINA -- For the better part of two decades, anyone who checked out a Saskatchewan Roughriders practice or took in a game at Taylor Field would likely be able to find Alex Smith Sr. offering his expertise to the team.
Over the span of 16 seasons, Smith Sr. was a fixture as an assistant coach with the Green and White, offering his knowledge of the game in a wide variety of roles, with the goal of helping players develop, improve and win games.
Through it all, he’d become the longest-serving coach in franchise history, working with the team from 1997 through 2012 and reaching four Grey Cup games, including their championship win in 2007.
On Thursday morning, the Roughriders recognized Smith Sr.’s accomplishments as he was officially unveiled as one of the latest inductees in the Plaza of Honour.
“Growing up here in Regina, when you start out, you think you’ll maybe play for them someday. When reality sets in, you get into coaching and it's a privilege and an honour to have spent 16 years with this organization,” Smith Sr. said during the unveiling ceremony.
Smith Sr. started working the sidelines at Scott Collegiate back in the 1960s and eventually moved on to coach at Thom Collegiate, where his legend would grow with a host of provincial championships.That all led to him joining the Regina Rams junior coaching staff, where he’d ply his trade until the Riders first came calling in 1995, having him work as a guest coach at training camp.
Two years later, the Roughriders made it a full-time gig, and the rest is history.
“When I was playing, I was really good at memorizing things,” Smith Sr. said when asked how coaching came to him. “So I really liked the strategy and all that went into playing the game. And I loved the locker room and the friendship and comradeship of playing with those people because you need each other to be successful. In basketball, if you've got one or two good guys, you're going to be good. That ain't the way it is in football. And so that really attracted me, and I knew at a very early age that I wanted to coach this.”
Smith served as a linebackers, running backs and special teams coach during his time with the Riders, winning four West Division championships. His work with Corey Holmes as a kick returner helped Holmes win the Most Outstanding Special Teams Player in the 2002 and 2005 seasons.
Smith Sr. still stops by Roughriders practice on occasion -- once a week by his estimate -- and was still coaching at Campbell Collegiate as recently as last season, but admits ‘the energy level is not there’ to patrol the sidelines as he gets older.
“But I would love to coach still,” he added.
The Plaza of Honour gala will take place on Thursday evening, and Smith Sr. will join fellow inductees Chris Best and Steve Molnar in being formally enshrined at halftime of Saturday’s Legends Night game against the Montreal Alouettes.
“This is, of course, the only professional team in Saskatchewan and it has a long history,” Smith Sr. said. “I followed it since I was a kid, so to be part of this, it's an amazing thing to have happen to me.”
