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Justin Dunk
After being selected first overall in the 2004 CFL Canadian draft by the Tiger-Cats, Wayne Smith had a smooth ride on the playing field during his first five seasons, three with Hamilton and two with Saskatchewan after being dealt there in a multi-player trade in January of 2007.
Smith played 82 of a possible 90 games in those first five years with just a few nicks and bruises along the way.
Then major injury struck, not even during a game or practice. Smith ruptured his achilles tendon just a couple of weeks before Saskatchewan’s training camp was set to start in 2009.
“I was training with a couple guys on the field and I ruptured my achilles,” the 305-pounder said.
After a healthy career up to that point, you wouldn’t blame Smith if he had trouble dealing with the setback, but he wasn’t one to waste time feeling sorry for himself.
“It was tough, but at the same time I’m a big believer in positive energy,” Smith said.
The Appalachian State product was dedicated to rehabbing from his ruptured achilles, in order to return to the form of a number one overall pick.
“I did a lot of pool workouts. That’s where I learned how to run, was back in the pool. After an injury like that, your body forgets how to run,” Smith said. “So what I did was get in the pool pretty early and I was able to let my body remember how to run without putting a lot of pressure on the leg.”
Once he was able to run again, Smith took to one of the most despised machines in any gym.
“I lived on the stairmaster,” Smith said. “The thing you lose with the achilles injury, you lose that quickness on your toes and you lose that power.”
One rolling set of stairs after another, Smith made his way back to full health and got himself back on the football field in time for Roughrider training camp in 2010.
After a healthy and productive camp in Regina, Smith was set to start up front for Saskatchewan in their season and home opener against the Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes.
“My first game back I ruptured my patella tendon,” Smith said.
When momentum gets rolling in one direction it is hard to stop, but Smith would not let the consecutive injuries hamper his mentality.
“I never let myself get too down,” Smith said. “Of course there is that natural letdown, you get upset after everything you did to come back, but I never doubted that I’d be back.”
Smith worked closely with the Riders medical staff to rehab his knee back to 100 per cent.
“It was more trial and error. The training staff in Saskatchewan did a good job of giving me guidelines,” he said. “You try something, if it feels good you keep doing it, if you try it and it hurts, you stop.”
After his knee was fully healthy Smith actually backed off his training in preparation for the 2011 campaign. A theory that might sound hypocritical, but Smith believes more rest helped him to feel fresh and ready to go.
Now wearing number 52 in Black and Gold, after signing a free agent deal this year with the Ticats, Smith chose to come back to the city where he started his CFL career.
“I tried to look at it as objectively as possible, leaving Saskatchewan was a tough decision – one I lost a lot of sleep over,” Smith said. “It’s a good organization and I’ve got no ill will towards them. I just felt at the time that this was a better situation for me.”
Smith is in his fourth season in TigerTown, eighth in the CFL overall, and he might not be a starter in his second time around in TigerTown, but he is a valuable non-import backup — able to fill in at any of the interior offensive line positions.
Naturally, any athlete wants to show their former team what they lost, but Smith is treating Saturday’s game against his only other CFL team, the Roughriders, like any other.
“It’s another opponent,” he said. “For the most part it’s another game on the calendar.”
