Bruce “Grizzly Bear” Smith CFL legend

Bruce Smith: A CFL Great Who Made Canada Home

On a fall walk last year through York Cemetery in Toronto, I came upon the grave of Bruce Smith — a name well known to fans of the CFL, especially those who remember the fierce defences of the 1970s.

Smith was a rugged linebacker and defensive end who earned a Grey Cup ring with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in 1972, before becoming a captain and cornerstone of the Toronto Argonauts’ famed “Dirty Dozen” defense — a unit as feared as it was respected.

Born and raised in Huntsville, Texas, Smith played his college ball at the University of Colorado in Boulder before crossing the border to join the CFL. His roots ran deep, and so did the hardships he endured.

“I had picked cotton in the fields and rode in the back of the bus,” he once said. “It’s like living in another world from where I came from.”

But that other world — Canada — quickly became home. After hanging up his cleats, Smith stayed, building a life as impactful off the field as it was on. He became a successful real estate entrepreneur, rising to be one of Canada’s top-selling agents, and later found his calling as a public speaker, sharing his hard-won wisdom with youth and adults across the country.

A born-again Christian, Smith was also ordained as a minister and served as the school chaplain at Upper Canada College, touching even more lives through mentorship and faith.

Sadly, we lost Bruce to pancreatic cancer on January 3, 2013. He was only 63.

1949-2013