November 20, 2022, was the biggest day of Robbie Smith’s life. He now refers to it as the biggest day of his professional life.
October 24 of this year has surpassed that, and now holds the title as the biggest day of his personal life. That’s when the Toronto Argonauts defensive end and his partner Jasmin Hector became parents, welcoming daughter Niomie to the Smith, Hector, and Argo families.
On the field, Smith’s game hasn’t changed. He’s still playing at an exceptionally high level, constantly pressuring quarterbacks and finishing the season with six sacks. That tied his career high set a year ago and left him in a tie for ninth place in the CFL in that category.
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But when he’s away from BMO Field, life is dramatically different.
“It’s changed a lot,” the new dad told Argonauts.ca. “Obviously adding another human to the family changed a lot in the household. You hear a lot of guys on the team who are fathers talk about their experiences, but you can’t really understand it until you live it. There’s a lot less free time and a lot less sleep.”
Ah, sleep. Smith remembers it well. Niomie is still waking up every one or two hours, leaving her parents grateful for every bit of shuteye they can get. Though he misses his girls badly, being isolated away from home and in a downtown Vancouver hotel room has been like a lottery win for the proud papa.
“My girl was asking how I was sleeping, and I didn’t want to tell the truth,” he said, breaking into a laugh. “I’m sleeping pretty good, but obviously she’s not.”
A well-rested Smith could provide problems for the Bombers, much like he did in the 2022 championship game. The Brampton product recorded four tackles that night in Regina, but the last drive of the game would cement his spot in Argonaut lore.
With time running out in the fourth quarter and the Winnipeggers needing a field goal for the win, Smith sacked Zach Collaros to set up a vital 3rd-and-13. Unbelievably, Smith would sack Collaros on a second consecutive play, a result that would have all but clinched the game. But Smith inadvertently grabbed the QB’s facemask, giving the Bombers life.
Collaros moved his team into range for a potential game-winning field goal in the dying seconds, but Smith was able to block the attempt, giving the Argos their 18th Grey Cup championship. The play was recognized last year as the 15th top moment in the franchise’s storied history.
It’s a tough act to top, and the Laurier grad isn’t thinking about besting what he was able to contribute to that championship Sunday.
“To be honest, I don’t think of one-upping my best professional moment,” he confided. “Pinball (Argo general manager Michael Clemons) has a really great quote that he says all the time, ‘If what you did yesterday still sounds good to you, then you haven’t done much today.’ It’s really helped me forget about the past. In new situations the past really doesn’t matter. I’m just thinking about doing whatever we need to do to have our team win today.”
Not only has Smith played well against the Bombers, but he also apparently loves playing at BC Place, the venue that will host Sunday’s game. When the Argos beat the Lions there in mid-September, Smith was virtually unblockable. He recorded three sacks, four defensive tackles, adding another tackle on special teams.
While he’s gone sackless against the Bombers this season, his teammates haven’t. They got to Collaros five times in the first meeting between the teams at BMO Field, then upped that to seven sacks in the rematch in Winnipeg.
Every play is magnified in a championship game. Nobody knows that better than Smith, who has proven that a couple of big plays can not only help lead the way to a win but can indelibly etch your name into a team’s history.