Jacques Dusseau and Larry Smith are inducted into the Canadian Football Hall of Fame

Jacques Dussault, Larry Smith, John Bowman, Josh Burke and Lloyd Fairbanks will all make their debuts at Hamilton this September.

Jacques Dossault was the first French-speaking coach to work in the Canadian Football League (CFL) when he joined the Concordes de Montreal in 1982. He returned to the Alouettes in 1997 as Director of Defensive Line.

If we find Danny Maciosia, Andre Bolduc, Byron Archambault and others among the football activities of CFL teams, it is in part because of this nomadic coach.

Traveling across America pursuing the profession he loved, Dassault was well aware that he was culturally different from the people he met, but that never stopped him.

In those years, the sport of francophones was not like hockey for various reasons. Barriers have been broken and we’ll see what happens.

Although his induction is primarily associated with his pioneering work in the CFL, Dussault would have been known for all of his work. He is the only Canadian to have been a World Football League head coach with the Montreal machine.

Originally from the Quebec region, he has also exported his passion for soccer by captaining college teams in the Atlantic provinces, as well as teaching North American soccer to the Anges Bleus team in the Paris region.

Dossault also made his mark on University of Quebec football by relaunching the University of Montreal program. With the presence of Rouge et Or from the University of Laval, the return of the University of Montreal and the arrival of the Vert & Or from the University of Sherbrooke made it possible for Quebec footballers to play their sport while studying in French, which would have been impossible before the mid-1990s.

The one that many just call trainer He also takes pride in seeing Quebecers distinguish themselves on the professional soccer field and is also proud of the work of the coaches who have coached them.

There are more and more francophones out there, just look at the Canadian League. And there are those who went to the NFL. It proves that the talent is there and that there has been a good preparation for these youngsters to compete.

trainer Dussault would also have been accepted into the Hall of Fame’s media wing because, like Pierre Vercheval today, he analyzed all football games submitted to the Réseau des Sports, be it those of the CFL, NFL, or any other level.

And when Radio Canada decided to bring college football to the national airwaves, it was a natural choice.

Larry Smith, from player to commissioner

Although he had a decent nine-year career in the CFL after being the first pick in the 1972 draft, it was a bummer for Larry Smith to be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Smith was named commissioner of the Canadian League in 1992 and it was he who managed the American adventure for the CFL. When the US expansion ended and the league returned home, Smith also returned home and became president of the Alouettes. New generation. He held the position from 1997 to 2001 and from 2004 to 2010.

He has won the Gray Cup four times: twice as a player (1974 and 1977) and twice as an executive (2009 and 2010).

The Alouettes have been honored on both offense and defense

Two first-year eligibility players, Alouettes defensive end John Bowman and linebacker Solomon Elemiyan of the BC Lions were elected.

Bowman played in 230 games in 14 seasons with the Alouettes and twice led the league, including in 2015 when he had a career-high 19.

Elimimian is the only defensive player in CFL history to be named the league’s Most Valuable Player. In 2014, he broke the major league record with 143 tackles, a mark he broke himself three years later.

Three more players will join Hamilton in September.

Josh Burke, an offensive lineman who spent nine seasons in Montreal before finally playing a role in Toronto. He was named to the Eastern Division All-Star Team on seven occasions and was part of the Alouettes that won the Gray Cup in 2009 and 2010.

Like Burke, Lloyd Fairbanks, another offensive lineman who enjoyed a 17-year career with Calgary, Montreal and Hamilton, was a seven-time All-Star.

Finally, the versatile Larry Crawford has been rewarded for his nine seasons in Vancouver and Toronto.

Defensive back and punt returner, Crawford had 52 interceptions over his career, including 12 in 1983, the fourth performance in history.

Canadian football’s immortals will be honored September 15-16 at the Canadian Football Hall of Fame, which is located at Tim Horton Stadium, home of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.