Louis-Philippe Ladouceur (born March 13, 1981) is a Canadian former professional

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

player who spent his entire 16-year career as a long snapper with the

Dallas Cowboys The Dallas Cowboys are a professional American football team based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The Cowboys compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) East divisi ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). Born and raised in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-most populous city in Canada and List of towns in Quebec, most populous city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian ...

, he played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

in the United States for the

California Golden Bears The California Golden Bears are the athletic teams that represent the University of California, Berkeley. Referred to in athletic competition as ''California'' or ''Cal'', the university fields 30 varsity athletic programs and various club te ...

. He signed as an

undrafted free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

with the NFL's

New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. Since 1975, the te ...

in 2005, before joining the Cowboys that same year. Ladouceur holds several longevity records for both the Cowboys and the NFL, including most consecutive games played in Cowboys history, most seasons played in Cowboys history, most consecutive games played by a longsnapper in NFL history, and most games played by a Canadian-born player.

Early years

Ladouceur attended Notre Dame High School in Montreal, Quebec. He went on to play as a

defensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

for John Abbott College, which is a

public college A public university or public college is a university or college that is in owned by the state or receives significant public funds through a national or subnational government, as opposed to a private university. Whether a national universit ...

, where as a senior he recorded seven sacks, 48 tackles, and one fumble recovery. He accepted a football scholarship from the

University of California, Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant u ...

. He also received scholarship offers from

Syracuse University Syracuse University (informally 'Cuse or SU) is a Private university, private research university in Syracuse, New York. Established in 1870 with roots in the Methodist Episcopal Church, the university has been nonsectarian since 1920. Locate ...

and

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

. In his first 2 seasons he appeared in only 5 games. As a junior, he was named the team's long snapper and was a key player on a

special teams In American football, the specific role that a player takes on the field is referred to as their "position". Under the modern rules of American football, both teams are allowed 11 players on the field at one time and have "unlimited free substitu ...

unit that did not allow a blocked kick in two straight years. Ladouceur was selected in the fourth round of the

2004 CFL Draft The 2004 CFL Draft took place on Wednesday, April 28, 2004. 53 players were chosen from among eligible players from Canadian Universities across the country, as well as Canadian players playing in the NCAA. Of the 53 draft selections, 35 players we ...

by the Ottawa Renegades, but decided to return to school.

Professional career

New Orleans Saints

Ladouceur was signed as an

by the

after the

2005 NFL Draft The 2005 NFL draft was the procedure by which National Football League teams selected amateur college football players. It is officially known as the NFL Annual Player Selection Meeting. The NFL draft, draft was held April 23–24, 2005 NFL seaso ...

on April 27. He was waived on August 29.

Dallas Cowboys

After playing the third game of the 2005 season against the

San Francisco 49ers The San Francisco 49ers (also written as the San Francisco Forty-Niners) are a professional American football team based in the San Francisco Bay Area. The 49ers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the league's National ...

, the Cowboys decided to stay the entire week in California, to better prepare for their next game against the

Oakland Raiders The Oakland Raiders were a professional American football team that played in Oakland from its founding in 1960 to 1981 and again from 1995 to 2019 before relocating to the Las Vegas metropolitan area where they now play as the Las Vegas Raide ...

. Because of issues they were having with rookie long snapper

Jon Condo Jonathan Condo (born August 26, 1981) is an American former professional football long snapper who played in the National Football League (NFL) for the Oakland Raiders, the Atlanta Falcons and the San Francisco 49ers. He played college footb ...

, the team decided to replace him with Ladouceur, who signed with the team on September 28. In his

NFL The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the major ...

debut against the

, he snapped cleanly on five punts and two

field goals A field goal (FG) is a means of scoring in gridiron football. To score a field goal, the team in possession of the ball must place kick, or drop kick, the ball through the goal, i.e., between the uprights and over the crossbar. The entire ball ...

. He finished his rookie season with clean snaps on 70 punts, 25

and 28 PATs. On February 14,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, he signed a five-year contract through the 2012 season. On February 28,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, he signed a new five-year contract. In

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, he was added to the

Pro Bowl The National Football League All-Star Game (1939–1942), Pro Bowl (1951–2022), or Pro Bowl Games (starting in 2023) is an annual event held by the National Football League (NFL) featuring the league's star players. The format has changed thro ...

as a "need player" for

purposes. On March 18, 2018, Ladouceur re-signed with the Cowboys. On March 19, 2019, Ladouceur re-signed with the Cowboys. On March 24, 2020, Ladouceur signed a one-year contract with the Cowboys. He tied the franchise record of playing in 16 seasons, shared with

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

Jason Witten Christopher Jason Witten (born May 6, 1982) is an American former professional football player who was a tight end for 17 seasons, primarily for the Dallas Cowboys of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Univers ...

. On December 13, 2020, he became just the 3rd player in NFL history to play 250 consecutive games for one team. On December 20, he played in his 251st career

game, moving him past

placekicker Placekicker, or simply kicker (PK or K), is the player in gridiron football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals and extra points. In many cases, the placekicker also serves as the team's kickoff specialist or punter. Spe ...

Eddie Murray as the most ever by a Canadian born player. He was congratulated by Canada's Prime Minister

Justin Trudeau Justin Pierre James Trudeau ( , ; born December 25, 1971) is a Canadian politician who is the 23rd and current prime minister of Canada. He has served as the prime minister of Canada since 2015 and as the leader of the Liberal Party since 2 ...

. On March 15, 2021, it was reported in the media that the Cowboys would not re-sign Ladouceur to play for them in a 17th season. He was replaced with

free agent In professional sports, a free agent is a player who is eligible to sign with other clubs or franchises; i.e., not under contract to any specific team. The term is also used in reference to a player who is under contract at present but who is a ...

acquisition

Jake McQuaide Jacob McQuaide (born December 7, 1987) is an American football long snapper for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League (NFL). He was signed by the St. Louis Rams as an undrafted free agent in 2011. McQuaide played college football at ...

Personal life

Ladouceur married his wife, Brooke Worthington, in April 2012. He became an

American citizen Citizenship of the United States is a legal status that entails Americans with specific rights, duties, protections, and benefits in the United States. It serves as a foundation of fundamental rights derived from and protected by the Constituti ...

in 2019 after starting the process in 2013. He decided he was going to retire from the

in November 2021, but did not make his decision public until February 2022.

References

External links

California Golden Bears bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladouceur, L.P. 1981 births Living people American football defensive linemen American football long snappers California Golden Bears football players Canadian players of American football Dallas Cowboys players French Quebecers Gridiron football people from Quebec People from Pointe-Claire Sportspeople from Montreal Unconferenced Pro Bowl players American people of French-Canadian descent