April Emory and Bonnie Winston
March 21, 2011
Reggie Smith, a former standout for the Elizabeth City State University Vikings, has signed a contract to play for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League.
In 22 career games at ECSU, Smith caught 41 passes for 694 yards and six touchdowns. As a wide receiver, he was ECSU’s primary return man for two seasons – 2008 and 2009 – with 580 yards and five punt returns for touchdowns, along with 865 kickoff return yards with two going for scores.
He was one of the top kick returners in NCAA Division II.
A native of Fort Wayne, Ind., Smith played quarterback for Harding High School and led the team to a state championship. He spent two years at Grand Rapids Community College before transferring to ECSU.
At 5’11" and 195 pounds, Smith dominated the gridiron for the Vikings. During his junior year in 2008, he was named to the All-CIAA Defensive Second Team after leading the CIAA in both punt returns and punt return yardage — 20 for 277 yards.
In his final season in 2009, Smith was named to the All-CIAA team at two positions — as a First Team All-CIAA honoree as punt returner and as a member of the Second Team as a kick-off returner.
He was chosen to play in the 2010 Valero Cactus Bowl in January 2010 in Kingsville, Texas. A criminal justice major, Smith missed his May 2010 graduation because he was training in rookie camp for tryouts with the NFL’s Baltimore Ravens.
Smith, 25, now joins the CFL’s defending Grey Cup champions. In November 2010, the Alouettes captured the Grey Cup with a 21-18 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. It was the team’s third win, including back-to-back championships in 2009 and 2010.
Training camp for Smith begins June 6 at Bishop’s University in Quebec, Canada.
For more information on the Montreal Alouettes, visit en.montrealalouettes.com or cfl.ca.
